Beauchene Inn on the Bayou
by WildAngelSpirit
Summary: CM Punk takes some time off in Louisiana. When strange things start happening, Punk must decide if it is the supernatural or if there is a reasonable explanation for everything. And it may change everything he believes in.
1. Arrival in New Orleans

_**Disclaimer- I own no part of the WWE or their employees included in this story. I am making no money, I just write for entertainment. I own all original characters included in this story.**_

**Author's Note- This story will contain supernatural content that some may find offensive. It is meant for entertainment only and not intended to offend anyone's beliefs. If you feel this story may offend you, please do not read. **

(Friday)

Punk and Cena made their way through the small B&B on the outskirts of New Orleans, making their way to their assigned rooms on the second floor.

"About a million hotels, cabin rentals, you name it in New Orleans and you picked this place in the middle of nowhere." John sighed. "You sure you wanna spend a month here?"

"It's fine John. It's quiet and away from everyone. That is the point of this month off. To have some time to myself. I was damn lucky that I got the time off." Punk said.

"Well after you stretched the ligaments in your knee, Paul was more than happy to give you time to relax. But why here? Why not Chicago?" John asked.

"We have been through this. I wanted a change of scenery." Punk said.

John and Punk walked down the hall, finding their rooms next to each other. Punk opened the door to his room and stepped inside, careful of his braced knee. He saw a neatly made bed, a small couch with coffee table and a bathroom off to the side. John walked in the room having just put his stuff in his own room.

"It is kinda homey even if it is out of the way." John said.

"Downtown New Orleans is not that far, I will still be able to do anything I want while here. Out here, I can get some peace and quiet." Punk said.

"As long as you're happy. I just came along for a few days. I gotta get back for the Monday show." John said and Punk nodded.

"I appreciate you coming along." Punk said. "And I think Jeff is gonna stop down at some point while I am here too."

"Some relaxation, some friends, some rest on your knee….sounds great." John smiled.

One of the owners walked in. "Nice to see you gentlemen are getting settled in." he said. "I am Tom Beauchene. I believe my parents checked you two in."

"Yes, we met them earlier. You work here too?" John asked.

"The Beauchene Inn has been in the family for years…since the late 1800's." Tom smiled. Tom had dark black hair with brown eyes. John chuckled thinking Tom looked like a shorter version of Shane McMahon.

"It's a nice place." Punk said.

"Thank you; hope you enjoy your stay with us. There is a pool out back. Several trails that lead to Lake Pontchartrain. A fire pit and you may use the veranda anytime you like. If there is anything else you need help with or have questions about just ask." Tom said.

"What time is housekeeping usually done?" Punk asked.

"Mom usually cleans the rooms after breakfast, so between 9-11." Tom said.

"Any other guests here right now?" John asked.

"Just one, a young lady and her dog…we try to be pet friendly especially since she is staying with us the entire summer." Tom smiled. "I believe she is out right now."

"Thanks." Punk smiled.

Tom smiled and walked out of the room.

"I bet there are mosquitos everywhere." John looked out towards the lake.

"I will pick up some bug repellant." Punk said.

"I should probably take a nap. Didn't sleep much last night." John said. "Later you wanna head into New Orleans…find something to do for the evening?"

"Sounds good." Punk said. "How about…."

He was interrupted by the sound of loud barking.

"Rocky…it's okay. Be quiet." A girl's voice followed.

They heard someone coming up the stairs and suddenly a woman with a large dog appeared outside Punk's door. She was wearing shorts and a t-shirt with her hair in a ponytail. The dog saw them and barked briefly.

"Rocky! That is enough!" she said and then noticed John and Punk inside the open door. "Oh hi, you must be the new guests. Tom told me some gentlemen had checked in."

"Hey….is he okay?" John nodded towards the dog.

"Oh Rocky…he is fine. He is really a big teddy bear but ever since we checked in here a few weeks ago, he seems uneasy. Restless. Maybe he is just adjusting to new surroundings. Of course for some reason he hates the Beauchene's. Barks every time he sees one of them or if they even walk by the room." She shrugged.

"He is a good looking dog…blue tick hound?" John asked.

"Yeah, he is my baby. Had him three years now." She smiled.

John walked over to the hall and let the dog smell his hand, when he didn't show signs of aggression, John patted his head. "I am John by the way."

"Oh, I am sorry, where are my manners? I am Evalena. Evalena Cole. Guess I am staying across the hall from you. Please excuse how I look, I just came back from a jog. I promise I will look human after a shower." She chuckled and shook John's hand.

"It's fine." John chuckled.

Punk made his way into the hall. "This is my friend, Punk. He will be staying the month here." John said.

"You go by Punk?" she shook his hand.

"Nickname….Phil is my real name." he said and let the dog smell his hand.

Evalena looked as if she were going to say something but frowned. She shook her head and smiled. "Think I will stick with Punk….Phil just….I'll stick with Punk."

"Tom mentioned you were staying the whole summer?" Punk asked.

"Yes, I always wanted to come to Louisiana so when I wanted to get away for a while…seemed like the perfect time." Evalena smiled.

"This place seems good for that." Punk agreed.

"I hate to run but I need to shower. I am sure we'll see each other around, this place isn't very big." She smiled. "It was nice meeting both of you."

"Nice meeting you too." John smiled as Evalena started into her room.

"Rocky as in the Stallone movie?" Punk asked suddenly.

Evalena turned and smiled. "Nah….Rocky as in 'Rocky Top'….this girl is a proud member of the Big Orange Nation."

Evalena shut the door to her room after Rocky followed her in. John and Punk walked back into Punk's room.

"At least you won't be lonely. She seems friendly." John said.

"At least she didn't recognize us. I don't think I could deal with a month of a groupie following me around." Punk said.

"I am going to get that nap now. Wake me when you wanna head out." John said and

headed towards his own room.

(11PM)

John and Punk were sitting behind the inn, next to a small bonfire in the fire pit that Tom had built at their request. Going into New Orleans had not worked out well for them so they had decided to just relax at the inn for the evening.

"Dinner was nice, even if things got crazy at the club we tried." John chuckled.

"It's all your fault. Those crazy girls practically causing a riot over you." Punk rolled his eyes.

"It was two of them….although two of the most persistent fans I have seen in a while." John chuckled.

"How about tomorrow we head over to the lake? Maybe we can swim or go fishing or something?" Punk offered.

"Sounds good. Just careful of your knee." John said.

"Doctor says it is healing great." Punk said.

Punk and John looked up at the sound of footsteps and chuckling. They saw Evalena with her dog walking around the side of the inn. Rocky barked a few times and ran towards them but stopped when he reached them. John reached over to pet him.

"Hey guys, sorry to interrupt. I was just bringing Rocky out before turning in for the night." Evalena smiled. She was now dressed in jeans and a tank top with her hair in soft curls reddish brown curls down her back.

"No interruption, always got time for a Volunteers fan." John gave her one of his dimpled smiles. "Pull up a seat, want something to drink."

"You sure you don't mind?" she asked.

"It's cool. You want a beer or Pepsi?" Punk asked.

Again she looked like she wanted to say something but stopped. She smiled, "I'll take a Pepsi."

"So where are you from and what has you spending the entire summer here?" John asked.

"I am from outside Knoxville, Tennessee." She smiled as Punk handed her a Pepsi and she sat down in the empty chair between Punk and John, Rocky lying at her feet.

"Explains why you love the Volunteers." John said. "And you're here because?"

"I am writing a book. I finished all the research a few weeks ago and decided to come here for the summer to write it. Peace and quiet, new surroundings to keep me refreshed and inspired." Evalena smiled.

"Writing a book? What about?" Punk asked.

"An unsolved mystery of two fires in Indiana where the same man was declared dead in both…ten years apart." Evalena smiled.

"What the fuck?" Punk said. "Sorry, I don't know you well enough to talk like that in front of you."

"Oh it's fine. I am a criminal psychologist…believe me, I have heard much worse." She chuckled.

"Why is a psychologist writing on an unsolved mystery?" John asked.

"I heard of the case years ago and thought I would broaden my horizons...try my hand at writing." Evalena said.

"So how did one man die twice?" Punk asked.

"It's a long story….with lots of theories and such." Evalena said. "I would be happy to tell you about it some time."

"Sounds like it could be…." Punk started but Rocky suddenly started growling.

"Rocky?" Evalena looked at him.

Rocky started growling and got to his feet, Evalena grabbed his collar to keep him from running. Rocky barked loudly.

John saw Tom walking towards them.

"Rocky, that is enough." Evalena tried calming the dog but nothing worked.

"Is everything okay with our guests? I wanted to check in before going to bed for the evening." Tom said as Rocky growled and barked, his hair standing up as if warning off a predator.

"Everything is fine. We'll see you in the morning." Punk answered.

Tom nodded. "Goodnight then."

Tom walked away and when he was out of sight, Rocky calmed down.

"What is with your dog?" Punk asked.

"I have no idea. Rocky has always loved everyone. But he hates the Beauchene's. It's so weird. I mean look…he likes you two." Evalena said.

"Well he seems fine now." John patted the dog.

"Where are you guys from?" Evalena asked.

"I'm from Chicago and John is from near Boston….we work together." Punk answered.

Evalena looked like she wanted to say something but stopped again. "It's nice to have some other guests around. In the two weeks I been here I have only seen one other guest and she left last week."

"Punk wanted peace and quiet." John said.

"Plenty of that around here." She chuckled.

_Note- Please review, all writers enjoy reviews about their work. Hope you enjoyed. This is just the start. _


	2. Saturday on the Bayou

(Saturday)

The next day John and Punk were walking back along one of the trails from Lake Pontchartrain. Tom had lent them some fishing gear, but neither one had much success.

"I think the reason no one comes here much is the area is so swampy, not the best part of the lake." Punk said.

"I got on enough bug repellent to scare off Mothra." John laughed.

"Your jokes are so corny!" Punk groaned.

"Knee need rest?" John asked.

"It is okay, been resting it pretty well." Punk said. "Brace is uncomfortable."

As they reached the inn, they saw Evalena sitting on the front porch typing on her laptop while Rocky snoozed at her feet.

"It's the Vols fans and Rocky Top!" John said.

Evalena looked up and smiled at them. "Hey guys…..catch anything?" she saw the fishing gear they were carrying.

"Nothing worth keeping." Punk said.

"You working on your book?" John asked.

"Yes, working on the first fire. I have the early chapters with the background of the Roberts' finished." Evalena said.

Punk sat down in the chair across from her at the patio table. "You never did explain to us how one man could die twice."

"Like I said, it is a long story." Evalena said.

"Well fishing didn't work, might as well entertain ourselves with a mystery." John sat down, leaning the fishing poles on the railing.

"The man who was supposed to have died twice was Clarence Roberts. He and his wife lived in Nashville, Indiana. Typical couple, raised a family, involved in the community and successful in business. But they tried living beyond their means, were heavily in debt and then their business ventures failed." Evalena started.

"Wasn't this on a show….the one with the creepy old guy?" John asked.

"Robert Stack…yes he was the host of 'Unsolved Mysteries' which did feature this show at one point." Evalena chuckled.

"How did you know that?" Punk asked John.

"Gotta watch something when I can't sleep." John shrugged.

"Well in November of 1970, there was a huge fire in the barn at the Roberts' home. Authorities found a badly charred body with a shotgun in the ashes. It was really badly burned; only one tooth left and clothing had been burned away. However, also found in the ashes was Clarence's ring….undamaged." Evalena said.

"How could it be undamaged if the body was so badly burned?" John asked.

"Exactly…my theory is that it was planted after the fire so the body would be identified as Clarence's." Evalena said. "See Clarence had a million dollars in life insurance on himself with his wife as the beneficiary."

"Wasn't it suspected Clarence killed a drifter and set fire to the barn to fake his death?" John asked.

"You have got to quit watching late night TV." Punk said.

"He's right. And the biggest evidence that the body in the fire was not Clarence was the fact the body had type AB blood and Clarence's blood type was Type B. Even in 1970 that should've been enough to prove it wasn't Clarence but the Roberts' buried the dead man as Clarence and started trying to collect the insurance money." Evalena said.

"But why would they…." Punk was cut off by Rocky jumping up and starting to growl.

"Rocky…..what is it now?" Evalena grabbed his collar.

Tom walked around the corner of the inn. He smiled up at them. Rocky began barking, once again all his hair turned up like facing a predator.

"Back from fishing I see, have any luck?" he asked the men, staying at a distance.

"No, not much biting today." Punk said.

"You can leave the gear there. I will put it away later." Tom said and kept walking.

They watched as he walked around the back of the inn. Rocky calmed down and sat down near Evalena, watching where Tom had walked off to.

"Man, your dog really hates him." Punk said.

Evalena didn't respond. She patted Rocky's head looking lost in thought and frowning.

"Evalena?" John asked, no response. "You okay?"

She still didn't respond.

"Hey…you okay?" Punk tapped her shoulder and she looked up at him startled.

"Oh sorry…did you say something?" she asked.

"Everything okay? You spaced out there for a second." John asked.

"Did you guys…..and don't laugh…..did you guys hear anything strange last night?" Evalena asked.

"No, I slept with my iPod on last night." Punk said.

"Me neither, of course I sleep like I am dead. Thunder couldn't wake me up." John said.

"Did you hear something?" Punk asked.

"I don't know. I could've sworn I heard…..it's hard to explain…it sounded like a weird low humming...intermixed with words or something. I have heard it a few nights since I got here." Evalena said.

"Could you have been dreaming?" Punk asked.

"I thought so too and just brushed it off, but the way Rocky keeps acting…I dunno maybe he keeps getting upset because he hears something I can't….animals have super hearing and all." Evalena said.

"Is there a church nearby? Maybe you heard chanting or prayers or something." John said.

"I have passed a church nearby a few times while jogging but….it's a Nazarene church, they don't chant and I doubt they were having services at 3AM." Evalena said.

"You were probably just dreaming." Punk told her.

"You're probably right. I have been known to have some crazy dreams in my day and I even sleepwalk so…you're probably right." Evalena smiled.

"And Rocky….maybe he just doesn't like Tom for a weird reason. My neighbor once had a dog that hated men with long hair." John said.

"I think working on this crazy man dying twice story has you dreaming strange things." Punk chuckled.

Evalena smiled. "You are probably right."

"You busy tonight? Why don't you come out with us? We were gonna head into town, grab some dinner. Why don't you come with us?" John asked.

Punk raised his eyebrows but said nothing.

"That sounds nice, but I don't wanna intrude." Evalena said.

"No intrusion. We'd love the company and you can tell us more about Clarence Roberts." John smiled.

"I would like that. Thank you." She smiled.

"We gotta shower. We'll stop by around 6 for you, is that good?" John asked.

"That's fine." She smiled.

"Come on Philip, let's go get showered so Mothra doesn't get angry." John stood up.

"Your stupid corny jokes. And don't call me that!" Punk stood up and followed him.

(Evening)

Punk sat in John's room flipping through a local newspaper while waiting for John to finish getting ready so they could go out to dinner.

"What the hell is taking you so long? I could've showered 5 times by now!" Punk called out.

"I had to get all the bug spray smell off me." John chuckled.

"So why did you invite Miss Tennessee out with us tonight?" Punk asked.

"Does it bother you?" John asked walking out of the bathroom in jeans.

"No, I am just wondering what your motivations are." Punk said.

John dug through his suitcase. "She sounded a little…weirded out and I thought a night out might help." He shrugged.

"You have a thing for her?" Punk raised an eyebrow.

John chuckled as he decided on a shirt. "She is cute and seems pretty smart. But I ain't gonna be here long enough to start anything with her and I gave up one night stands years ago. Why?"

"Because if you had a thing for her I certainly wasn't going and be the third wheel." Punk said.

"What do you think of her?" John raised his eyebrows.

"What does that mean?"

"Just seeing if you had a thing for her and thought I was competition." John laughed.

Punk rolled his eyes. "You are a fucking riot John. I think she is a nice girl, that is it. Although it seems odd to me that she didn't recognize you. You've been in movies, all over TV and shit."

"Maybe she doesn't watch much TV, who knows." John shrugged, grabbing his wallet.

"Well let's go." Punk stood up.

They walked out of John's room and Punk knocked on Evalena's door. After a few minutes she opened the door. She was dressed in light blue summer dress and heels. They could see Rocky watching them from the floor.

"You ready to go?" John asked.

"Yes where are we going?" Evalena smiled and shut the door behind her.

"Have you been to Pier 424 yet?" John asked. "They serve really good food and serve seafood so Mr. Pescetarian there can eat."

"That sounds great." She smiled.

"Come on, Bourbon street is gonna be crowded." Punk said.

They walked downstairs and out of the inn. They walked across the yard towards John's rental car. They noticed Joe Beauchene, Tom's father, trimming the hedges. John popped the locks. Evalena started to get in the backseat.

"No, you're our guest. You ride shotgun." Punk said.

"You sure?" she asked.

"Yeah." Punk opened the passenger door for her. Evalena smiled and climbed in. Punk shut the door and noticed John smirking at him. Punk rolled his eyes and flipped John off over the roof of the car.

Punk climbed in the backseat and John started the car. He pulled out and headed towards New Orleans and Bourbon Street.

"You guys gonna try fishing again tomorrow?" Evalena asked.

"Nah, we're headed into New Orleans tomorrow. Day after that I am headed back to work." John said.

"What about you, more working on the twice dead guy?" Punk asked.

"Yes, I have been trying to get John Pless to agree to an interview with me but apparently he doesn't like my questioning. He was the pathologist that swore up and down the body in the 1970 fire was indeed Clarence Roberts." Evalena said. "I just wanna know how any moron could swear that was the right body when the blood types didn't match. And then the jackass turns around and claimed the body in the second fire was Roberts and that he had been mistaken about the first body."

"She's kinda feisty." John chuckled and looked in the rearview mirror at Punk. Punk rolled his eyes.

"Sounds to me like you ask the hard questions." Punk said to Evalena. "I like that."

"Why stop doing the criminal psychology thing?" John asked.

"I still do that, I just wanna branch into another area…hopefully become successful and can use psychology knowledge in my writing as well." Evalena said.

"Smart and success driven." John said looking at Punk again.

Punk glared at him, wondering what John was up to.

When they arrived near Pier 424, John parked the car so they could walk down Bourbon Street to the restaurant. "Sit still and I will open the door for you. No lady that rides in my chariot opens her own door." He winked.

Punk rolled his eyes and got out. John made his way around the car.

"Chariot? You are so fucking corny. What do women ever see in you?" Punk said.

"Just trying to be a gentleman." John shrugged.

"If you didn't have those damn dimples lines like those would get you slapped." Punk said.

"How sweet, you noticed my dimples." John gave a cheesy grin.

"Why the fuck do I hang out with you?" Punk sighed.

John chuckled and opened the passenger door so Evalena could get out of the car. They walked to the restaurant. It was already crowded but they were finally seated. Several people in the restaurant waved to John and Punk but if Evalena noticed she didn't mention it.

"The clams casino looks wonderful." Evalena looked over her menu.

"I was thinking the same thing." John said.

"I was leaning towards the Tuna Napoleon." Punk said.

The waiter came to take their orders. John and Punk both tried to keep a low profile.

"So Punk, why you staying in Louisiana for a month?" Evalena asked.

"I hurt my knee at work so I decided to take a little vacation while it healed." Punk answered without going into detail.

"So what is next for you after you finish writing the book about Clarence Roberts?" John asked.

"Actually there is another unsolved case I would like to research and write a book about. It happened here in Louisiana so I thought if I finished my book in time I could start the research while I am still here this summer." Evalena said.

"Wow, another book idea. What is the case?" John asked.

"The Audrey Moate case." She said.

"How many times did she die?" Punk chuckled.

"We don't know, she was never found. Her married boyfriend was found dead in his car at Lake Pontchartrain where he and Audrey had apparently been having sex. He had been murdered by gunshot but Audrey was never found." Evalena said.

"She probably got mad he wouldn't leave his wife and offed him, then left the area." Punk said.

"Not likely. Found at the murder scene was Audrey's clothes, most of the contents of her purse and women's bare feet tracks. Besides, she had three kids and they never heard from her again." Evalena said.

"I am gonna buy these books. You're getting me hooked on unsolved cases." John chuckled.

"I thought you already watched that late night stuff." Punk said.

"Hey Evalena might be nice enough to discuss the cases with me after I read the books." John said.

"You ever thought of writing about something besides unsolved cases?" Punk asked.

"I might someday. But unsolved cases interest me. There is something intriguing about a case that was never solved." She answered.

"An inquisitive mind." John looked at Punk.

Punk raised his eyebrows but chose to ignore John.

Finally their food arrived and conversation died down as they ate. The restaurant was getting more crowded and both John and Punk kept a low profile not wanting to attract attention to them. And both felt it would freak out Evalena if she found out who they were because they were mobbed by fans.

"I am stuffed; I don't think I can eat another bite." Evalena said as she finished eating.

"I have got to come back here before I leave New Orleans." Punk said.

"Seems like the place is really crowded. Long line of people waiting to get in." John said.

"We ready to head out? Maybe we can get Tom to build another fire for us in the fire pit." Punk said.

Evalena smiled. "That sounds nice. I will just leave Rocky in my room. For whatever reason, he hates Tom."

"I'll stop somewhere and pick us up some drinks." John said as they stood up.

They paid their bill and made their way out of the restaurant to head back to the inn.

_**Author's Note: Thanks so much for the reviews. Loved them and can't wait for more. Let me know what you think of the story. **_


	3. Monday at the Inn

(Monday)

Punk pulled his rental car in front of the Beauchene Inn and parked it. He had accompanied John to breakfast before he left to return to the WWE in time for RAW that night. He stepped out of his car, careful of his knee. He saw Martha Beauchene, Tom's mother, on the porch. He started towards the house when he heard Rocky barking. He turned and saw Evalena returning from her morning jog with Rocky by her side.

"Good morning Punk!" Evalena waved.

Punk waved back to her, noticing Martha quickly go into the house. Rocky calmed down and Evalena stopped jogging when she reached Punk.

"John make it to the airport okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, he said for me to tell you he wants to know when you get your next book idea." Punk said, making Evalena chuckle.

"What are you gonna do now that John has gone back to work?" she asked.

"I don't have any set plans. Just taking it easy. When I get bored I will find something to do." Punk shrugged.

Evalena looked towards the house then back at Punk. "Punk, can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure, what's up?" he asked.

"Promise me you won't think I am weird?" she asked.

"I think you are the most normal woman obsessed with unsolved crimes I have ever met." Punk winked and smiled.

Evalena smiled at him, thinking he should smile more often. "I guess that is fair." She chuckled.

"So what's on your mind?" Punk leaned against his rental car.

"Did you hear anything strange last night? Or hear anything going on upstairs…the third floor above us?" Evalena asked.

"No, why what did you hear this time?" Punk asked.

"Last night…starting about 2:30 or so, I heard footsteps upstairs." She said.

"Probably some new guests checked in." Punk shrugged.

"I thought so too. But this morning when I asked Tom about it, he said that you and I are the only guests here." Evalena said.

"Maybe one of the Beauchene's was up there for something." Punk said.

"Maybe, but that's not all. Around 3:00….I heard that weird chanting again." Evalena said.

"You sure you weren't dreaming? Maybe working on your book is giving you some kind of recurring nightmare." Punk said.

"No, I was wide awake. So I remembered what John said about maybe a church being nearby, so I jogged the opposite way on the road today. I found a different church….but it is a Methodist church with a small graveyard beside it. They wouldn't be chanting or holding services at 3AM." Evalena said.

"Could you be hearing a radio?" Punk asked.

"I suppose so. It just seems strange to me." Evalena said. "And it bothers me that Rocky doesn't like the Beauchene's."

"Well that isn't enough to worry about." Punk said.

"Maybe I am crazy." Evalena chuckled.

"I wouldn't worry." Punk said.

"Hearing it out in the open and talking about it with you, I now feel kinda silly." Evalena said.

"Guess all you needed was a friendly ear." Punk shrugged.

"Thanks Punk, I owe you a Pepsi." She smiled. "I better go shower, in this heat I probably smell like a skunk."

"Anytime." Punk smiled as Evalena took Rocky and headed into the inn.

(Night)

Punk was sitting at the fire pit reading a book he had bought earlier in the day while a small fire burned. He had built it himself, rather than ask Tom to do it again. He had gone into New Orleans earlier in the day and done some shopping. John had called to say he arrived safely at the show. Punk had watched Raw earlier and when it was over he had decided to relax by a fire before turning in for the night.

Punk heard footsteps and looked up to see Evalena and Rocky walking towards him. He smiled as she reached the fire pit.

"I saw your fire and thought I would join you for a few minutes. But if I am intruding on your quiet time, I can just take Rocky and…." She started.

"You're fine, have a seat." Punk smiled.

She handed him a bottle of Pepsi. "Told you I owed you a soda." She smiled at him.

"You really didn't have to do that, but thanks." He took the bottle. "You have a good day?"

"Yes, I am working on the chapter where witnesses reported seeing Clarence with a drifter that I theorize is who was killed and burned in the 1970 fire." Evalena said. "I was able to speak with several witnesses still living."

"That's great. I am glad your work is coming along so well." Punk said as Rocky laid his head in Punk's lap, a ball in his mouth.

"Rocky…don't bother Punk." She said.

"Oh he is fine. Does he like playing ball?" Punk chuckled.

"Yes, he does. He lost that ball yesterday when we were out here." She laughed.

Punk took the ball and threw it across the yard, Rocky took off after it.

"You miss home yet?" Punk asked.

"No, I traveled a lot while researching the book and….it's so beautiful here. I love being out in the country." She said. "You miss Chicago?"

"Not yet. Never thought I would like being out in the country but it's not so bad. Jeff always seemed to love it." Punk said.

"Jeff?"

"A friend of mine, lives in North Carolina." Punk said as Rocky brought the ball back. Punk took the ball and threw it again. "You always lived in Tennessee?"

"Born and raised. Born in the mountains, went to the University of Tennessee and now work in Knoxville." Evalena answered.

"You got family there?" Punk asked.

"Just daddy now. We lost mama a few years back." Evalena said.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know." Punk said.

Rocky returned and laid his head on Evalena's lap. She looked down and noticed he had something strange in his mouth. She frowned and pulled whatever it was out of his mouth.

"Punk, look at this. Look what Rocky found." Evalena held it up. It looked like a strange little doll.

"Looks like a doll. Where did he find it?" Punk shrugged.

"I am not sure. He went off to get the ball you threw." Evalena said.

"Let me see that." Punk leaned towards her. She handed him the doll. "Looks like a little voodoo doll."

"Where would he find that?" she frowned.

"I saw some dolls similar to these in town. New Orleans has a history of voodoo. They were selling them as a crazy souvenir." Punk said. "Someone must have left one behind or lost one and Rocky found it."

"Strange souvenir." Evalena frowned.

"People will sell anything to make a buck." Punk shrugged.

"It's funny. Voodoo gets such a bad reputation and it's not bad…even has roots in Catholicism. Black magic and hoodoo is a whole different story." Evalena chuckled. "Wasn't there a movie about this….some overrated blonde actress in it?"

Punk chuckled. "It's getting late. Do you want me to walk you inside?"

Evalena looked up at him.

"Even though we're in the boonies, John would never forgive me if I let something happen to his new favorite author." Punk smiled.

Evalena laughed. "The book isn't even finished yet. But thank you, that is very nice of you. Nice to see chivalry isn't dead."

Evalena stood up and walked towards the inn with Punk, Rocky following close beside her.

(3AM)

Evalena rolled over in bed and was suddenly awake. She noticed Rocky was standing at the door, on guard as if he suspected something was going to try coming in. She sat up in bed. Once again she could hear that chanting sound or humming or whatever she was hearing. She looked around her room but couldn't quite place where the sounds were coming from.

She climbed out of bed and grabbed her robe from the foot of the bed and pulled it around herself. She crept over to the door and nudged Rocky out of the way. She opened her door and peeked out into the hallway. Seeing nothing she walked across the hall and gently knocked on Punk's door. She received no answer so she knocked again, harder this time.

Punk opened the door, wearing just pajama bottoms and rubbing his eyes. Evalena smiled seeing all his tattoos across his chest.

"Evalena…what is it? Something wrong?" Punk asked.

"I am hearing that chanting or humming or whatever again." Evalena said.

Punk groaned. "You sure you weren't dreaming?"

"Come on." She grabbed his wrist and pulled him towards her room. She quietly opened the door and pulled him inside. "Hear that?"

Punk stood quietly and heard a faint chanting sound in the distance with a humming sound underlying.

"Yeah, but I still think it is a radio. Maybe one of the Beauchene's sleeps with a radio on. Lots of people do." Punk said.

"It sounds so strange. And at the same time every night?" Evalena asked.

Punk looked at the clock. "It's always 3AM right? Chances are it's a TV and a station just went off the air. Some stations still do that."

Evalena thought for a moment. "Oh you are probably right. I am so sorry. You probably think I am crazy. Here I got you out of bed and I am probably hearing a TV station go off the air."

"Don't worry about it. If it will get you to quit worrying about it then it's fine." Punk said.

"I am so sorry. You can go back to sleep. I feel so silly." Evalena said.

"It's okay, really. Not like I have to be up early in the morning. You gonna be okay now?" Punk asked.

"Oh yes. I can't believe I made so much fuss over something so small." Evalena actually blushed a bit.

"Don't worry about it. Always glad to help a pretty lady in distress." Punk yawned. "I'll see ya in the morning."

"Sounds good. Night Punk." Evalena smiled.

"Night Miss Tennessee." Punk walked out, quietly shutting her door behind him.

_**Author's Note-**__ Enjoying the reviews. Thanks so much for them. Keep them coming. I am aware Punk believes in ghosts. The ghost topic will come up later. The mystery in the story will be explained in time, I promise. Hope you enjoy. _


	4. Exploring the Bayou

(Tuesday)

Evalena was swimming in the pool at the inn the next morning. She had slept in later than usual but decided to take a swim anyway. Rocky was relaxing near the pool, watching her swim. She heard a rumble and looked around thinking Tom was mowing the lawn. However, she saw Punk riding up on a 4-wheeler. She smiled thinking with a ball cap on he looked adorable.

Punk stopped by the pool and shut off the 4-wheeler. "Hey Evalena."

"Hey Punk, where did you find a 4-wheeler?" she swam to the edge and pulled herself out of the water.

"I rented one. I thought it would be a good way to go through the woods, around the lake, look around a bit." Punk shrugged. "I just got back and got it unloaded."

Evalena grabbed her towel off a chair and wrapped it around herself. Even though she was wearing a one-piece she wanted to be modest.

"Sounds like fun. And no knee brace today?" she noticed Punk wasn't wearing his brace.

"Thought I would try today without it and see how I feel. It has been driving me crazy." Punk smiled.

"Looks like you have your day all planned." Evalena smiled.

"You wanna join me? 4-wheeler rides two." Punk said.

"I wouldn't wanna intrude on your plans." Evalena said.

"No intrusion, I am inviting you." Punk said. "That is if the twice dead guy can do without you for a day."

Evalena chuckled. "I would love to go, sounds like a lot of fun."

"Well go get dressed. I gotta go grab the bug spray." Punk chuckled.

"Meet you in about twenty minutes." Evalena said and hurried into the inn, Rocky close behind her.

She hurried into her room and got dressed, pulling on loose pants and a tank top. She brushed out her wet hair, putting it in a ponytail. She hurried and put on deodorant, skipping perfume because it would attract bugs. She pulled on her sneakers and hurried out of her room, locking Rocky inside.

Outside she saw Punk had pulled the 4-wheeler in front of the inn and was strapping his backpack onto the rack on the back. He smiled as she walked down the porch steps.

"Where is Rocky?" Punk asked. "He is welcome to go. He is a born tracker and all."

"I don't want him by the lake. He likes swimming and too many snapping turtles around here. Some of them are big enough that they have injured cattle." Evalena said. "Besides, if he tangled with a wild boar who knows how badly he might get hurt."

"Guess we're all ready. You want some bug spray?" Punk asked as he began spraying his own arms and legs.

"Better than being lunch for mosquitos." Evalena chuckled.

"Arms out." Punk smirked. Evalena chuckled and held her arms out. Punk sprayed her arms before tossing the can in his bag and zipping it. "You ever been 4-wheeling before?"

"Are the Cubs long overdue for a World Series Championship?" Evalena asked making Punk laugh.

"Fair enough, climb on." Punk said.

Evalena climbed on the 4-wheeler, sitting back so Punk could drive. Punk climbed in front of her and settled in.

"All set?" he asked.

"Yeah."

"You can hold on to the rack or me, just be careful of my knee." Punk said. She nodded and Punk started the 4-wheeler, driving them slowly across the yard towards the trails leading to Lake Pontchartrain.

Punk picked a trail and began driving them towards the lake. Evalena held onto the rack behind her, enjoying the ride and the scenery going by. When Punk reached the lake he began driving along the edge, avoiding swampy areas as best he could.

"Look at the cranes." Evalena pointed to a pair of cranes in the lake.

"I hear there are Bald Eagles around here too." Punk answered.

"It's so pretty around here. The water, the wildlife." She said.

"You're an outdoorsy girl." Punk smiled over his shoulder.

"Yeah, no hiding that." She chuckled.

"You ever take Rocky hunting?" Punk asked.

"I don't but my dad does. He trained him to track and says he is very good at it. Not surprised, Rocky is very smart…Blue tick hounds usually are." She said.

"If you don't hunt, why get a hunting dog?" Punk asked.

"I wanted a big dog. I am not the type girl to have a lap dog or some puffy thing you carry in a purse. I wanted a dog, not some dressed up rat!" Evalena said, making Punk laugh out loud. "And Smokey the mascot for the Volunteers is a blue tick!"

"You got a lot of spirit." Punk chuckled.

Punk drove them a bit further along the lake; he had never been this far from the inn before.

"Your knee okay?" Evalena asked.

"It is fine." He smiled at her.

"Do you know where we're going?" she chuckled.

"Not really. I figure I'll turn around when I hear banjos." Punk joked.

"Easy for you to say, who knows what those inbred cousins would've done to a female in that movie." She said.

After a few more miles, Punk stopped the 4-wheeler on the shore of the lake. He hopped off the bike and went to get his backpack.

"Come on, I brought us some snacks." Punk said.

"Where we going?" she asked.

"To find a place to sit." Punk said pulling his backpack off the rack and started along the beach area.

Evalena followed him a few yards along the beach where they found a few rocks, large enough to sit on by the shore. Punk kicked at them a few times to be sure no snakes would surprise them under the rocks, and then sat down on one.

"What did you bring?" Evalena sat down on the other rock.

"A few sodas, some pretzels, I think I grabbed a few protein bars." Punk opened his backpack.

"I can't believe you brought us snacks." Evalena chuckled.

"Guess it is a mini picnic." Punk shrugged.

Punk handed her a soda and a bag of pretzels.

"So what made you want to be a criminal psychologist?" Punk asked.

"I have a lot of curiosity. I hate a mystery and always want answers." Evalena said. "I always wanted to be able to get inside a criminals mind and see what made them do what they did….what made them tick, that kind of thing."

"That explains why you are now investigating unsolved crimes for your books." He chuckled. "I guess it's time I tell you what I do for a living."

"You mean that you're CM Punk, the best in the world. WWE athlete that is known for a straight edge lifestyle and being the voice of the voiceless." Evalena smiled.

"You knew? All this time you knew?" Punk stared at her.

"Yeah, I knew you and John Cena the moment I saw you two. My dad has been watching wrestling since before he ever married my mom." She chuckled.

"Why didn't you say something?" Punk asked.

"You and John didn't mention it so I didn't want to invade your privacy or anything. Besides, I am sure you get tired of fans everywhere you go. I thought you might like to just be yourself for a while." Evalena said.

"Thanks. As much as I love the fans and I do….it can get crazy sometimes." Punk said.

"Does this mean I can go crazy fan girl now?" Evalena giggled with mischief in her eyes.

"Like what?"

"OHHHH, its CM Punk!" she fake shrieked and jumped up, imitating over excited fans. "You're CM Punk! Do you know who you are? I watch you every week and sleep with your picture on my pillow!"

"Would you believe I have heard that before?" Punk chuckled at her antics.

"I just love you so much! I took the day off work when you lost your championship! I want you to be the father of my children!" Evalena dramatically giggled and batted her eyes, playing it up.

"I did hear someone say that to Cena once." Punk laughed.

"It is CM Punk….I am feeling the vapors…I think I am gonna faint!" Evalena dramatically fell to the ground.

Punk cracked up laughing. "Girl you are crazy."

Evalena sat up. "You know, you are adorable when you smile. You should do it more often on…" she trailed off staring at the water.

"Evalena?" Punk saw she looked scared. "What is it?"

She pointed out at the water as she jumped to her feet. Punk looked out at the lake and an alligator swimming towards the shore.

"Fuck!" he jumped up, grabbing his pack. "Don't those fucking things attack?"

"Not as often as made out but let's not test the statistics." Evalena looked pale.

Punk wrapped his hand gently around her wrist. "We're going to walk quietly but quickly back to the 4-wheeler. You lead the way while I watch him to see what he does."

Evalena nodded. She turned quietly and started walking towards the 4-wheeler while Punk followed, watching the gator as he climbed up on the shore and stood still. He made sure to keep himself between the gator and Evalena going where she led him. The gator didn't seem to be following them. They reached the 4-wheeler and Evalena quickly climbed on. Punk handed her his bag before jumping on and starting it up. He quickly pulled out, driving in the direction opposite of where the gator was. He could feel Evalena holding to his waist.

"Is he following us?" Punk asked.

Evalena looked behind them. "No…for all our fear, I don't think he was interested in us." She let out a nervous laugh.

Punk drove about a mile before he slowed down and parked the 4-wheeler. "You okay?"

"Yeah, just still feeling adrenaline. First time I ever saw an alligator in the wild. Gives me a whole new respect for those guys on the show 'Gator Boys'." She laughed.

"Yeah. Here, let me strap my bag down so you don't have to hold it." Punk hopped off the bike and walked around to the rack to strap his bag down again.

"How is your knee? Did you hurt it?" Evalena asked.

"No it feels fine." Punk said.

"That is good." She nodded.

Punk strapped down his bag and looked up. "By the way, thank you for keeping it quiet about who I am. A lot of fans would see me here and call everyone they know."

"It's no problem, Punk." She smiled.

"You can call me Phil if you want." He said.

"Got a middle name, I have a block against Phil." She said.

"Jack…but that was my dad's name and we have a….colorful past." Punk said.

"Well you don't look like a PJ…..maybe I will just stick with Punk." She smiled.

"Okay, let's head back. Let's see if I can find the right trail." He smiled and climbed back on the bike in front of her.

Punk started the 4-wheeler again and began driving back towards the inn. He knew he was on a different path than the one that he had taken earlier, but didn't mind figuring they all led back towards the inn.

"Were you out this way with John?" she asked.

"No, but I figure all the trails lead back to the inn. And I don't hear banjo music." Punk chuckled.

"Just go slow, trees are getting heavier. Sometimes jackasses hang wire across 4-wheeler paths so riders who don't see it in time get thrown off. I had a cousin nearly decapitated that way." Evalena said.

"What goes on in Tennessee?" Punk chuckled.

"Okay to be fair he was drunk as hell and got caught on the run line for an outdoor dog. But I have still heard some crazy stories about 4-wheeler motorists being injured by prank lines." Evalena said.

"I will be careful. I didn't save us from a gator just to be injured by a wire line." Punk laughed.

They rode another few miles when Evalena noticed something off to the side.

"Punk…over there. Look." Evalena pointed.

"What is it?" he looked not seeing much.

"Stop, I wanna take a look. Looks weird." Evalena said.

"It is a clearing with rocks." Punk said as he shut off the bike.

Evalena jumped off the bike and hurried towards the clearing. Punk shrugged and followed behind her. As they got to the clearing they could see several large rocks with a flat side arranged in some kind of circle. Most of the stones had drawings painted on them.

"What is this?" Punk asked.

"Looks like some kind of worship area for something." Evalena said.

"Not like any church I have ever seen." Punk said.

"Not church…look." Evalena pointed to a rock that had a white pentagram painted on it.

"Terrific devil worshippers. Probably just kids that are dabbling in the occult, trying to piss off their parents." Punk said.

Evalena walked around the clearing, looking at the painted rocks.

"Maybe this is voodoo, isn't that what New Orleans is known for? What's the name of the famous voodoo lady….Marie something?" Punk asked.

"Marie Leveau…and I don't think so. Voodoo involves the catholic religion. This is maybe hoodoo or black magic. I don't know much about any of it to be honest." Evalena said.

"Here's a chicken foot." Punk nudged something with his foot.

"What is this black stuff?" Evalena found something black on one of the blank rocks.

Punk walked over and looked for himself. "Looks like black candle wax."

"This all must be an altar or something for…somebody." She said.

"Always heard New Orleans had people into some voodoo stuff. Guess it is true." Punk said.

"I wonder if whoever uses this place hurts anyone…or animals." Evalena said. Punk looked at her. "Years ago there was a devil worshipping group in Mexico that was killing animals and people."

"Don't see any blood." Punk said.

"All the same, I wanna go. I don't know how kindly whoever set this place up would react to us being here." Evalena said.

"Relax; I still think it is just kids trying to act more badass than they really are." Punk said.

Evalena nodded and followed Punk away from the clearing and back to the 4-wheeler. They climbed on and Punk started the bike again. He started driving them along the path again, noticing that Evalena was closely watching around them.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, just looking to see if there is any more worship things set up around here." She said.

"Just kids, don't give it another thought." Punk said.

After a few more miles he finally came out at what looked like a grave yard.

"Where is this?" Punk asked.

"This is the Methodist church with a cemetery that is down the road from the inn. Same one I found while jogging." She said. "Inn is that way."

Punk nodded and pointed the bike in the direction Evalena pointed.

It didn't take long following the road to reach the inn. Punk pulled up beside the porch at the front of the inn and shut off the bike.

"What an adventure, alligators, weird worship sites, getting lost." Punk chuckled.

"I had a lot of fun though. Thanks for inviting me." Evalena smiled and climbed off the bike.

"Oh anytime. We'll hang out again soon." Punk smiled.

(Evening)

Punk was relaxing in his room, reading one of his new books. He was debating if he wanted to try going into New Orleans for the evening and finding something to do in town. His cell phone started ringing. He looked on the screen and saw John's number.

"Hello John." Punk answered his phone.

"How are things in the Big Easy?" John asked.

"Just fine. I am getting caught up on a few books I wanted to read and my knee is feeling pretty good." Punk said. "The show looked great last night."

"Yeah, although I think Brian stole the show when he started dancing with Jerry Lawler." John laughed.

"It's good to see Jerry no matter what he is doing after we almost lost him." Punk said.

"Have you seen Evalena lately? When you see her again tell her that while I was bored waiting on my connection flight today, I looked up the Moate case she was talking about for her next book. I personally think that man that lived near the railroad tracks killed them both." John said.

"I will be sure to tell her that." Punk chuckled. "Would you believe she has known who we are all along and didn't mention it because we didn't mention it? She said she wanted to give us privacy and time to be ourselves."

"Damn…we need more fans like her…..wait how did you find this out?" John asked.

"We were talking today when I took her 4-wheeling and she…."

"You took her 4-wheeling? Do I detect a crush Punkins?" John snickered.

"Don't make me murder you through the phone, you know I hate when obnoxious fans call me that." Punk said. "Yes, I invited her to go 4-wheeling with me. She is a very nice person, and funny. You should've seen this crazy fan girl routine she did."

"She is smart and cute too. Big smile, long hair and likes the Volunteers!" John said.

"What is your point? You want me to give her your number or something?" Punk sighed.

"No, I was just pointing out that you are spending time with a cute girl." Punk could hear the hint in John's voice.

"It was just casual hanging out. Besides escaping from an alligator is hardly romantic." Punk rolled his eyes.

"Alligator?"

"Yeah, while we were stopped by the lake an alligator came out of the water. We hightailed it out of there." Punk said.

"Ahhh, see there. Her knight in shining armor saved her from the dragon." John snickered.

"John…"

"Okay fine, her knight in shining….tattoos saved her from the alligator…still in the reptile family." John laughed.

"Fuck you are so corny. Do you talk like this on dates?" Punk groaned.

"You should ask her out." John said.

"Goodbye Cena." Punk said and shut his phone off, chuckling at John's antics.

_Author's Note- Loving the reviews. It is interesting seeing reactions to this story. Keep them coming. Hope you enjoy. _


	5. Strange Things

_**Author's Note**__- Material in this chapter is not intended to influence anyone's beliefs or reflect my own. They are part of this fiction story. If you feel you may be offended by mentions of religious material, read at your own risk. _

(Wednesday, 3AM)

Evalena rolled over in bed and opened her eyes when she heard noises in the room above hers. She sat up in bed when she heard Rocky growling and looking towards the ceiling.

"Shhhh, it's just someone moving around up there. Don't know why, but someone is up there." She told the dog.

She heard footsteps on the stairs. Rocky went to the door as if standing guard. Evalena listening carefully and heard the steps go down the stairs. She got out of bed and went over to get Rocky.

"Calm down baby, probably just one of the Beauchene's with insomnia." She pulled him away from the door. She glanced out the window and saw someone walking across the backyard. "That looks like Tom."

She watched as Tom walked across the back yard with something under his arm. He walked to the edge of the yard and then started down a trail she hadn't walked yet.

"Where is he going this time of night?" she asked herself. "Rocky, do you ever feel something here is weird?"

Already wearing her PJs of shorts and a tank top, she hurried and pulled on a pair of flip flops and quietly let herself out of her room. She walked as quietly as she could down the stairs and then walked through the back of the inn out the door. She looked around not seeing anyone and hurried to the trail Tom had walked down.

She couldn't see him but she heard some weird song. The song was in a language she didn't recognize and it was a man singing. She hurried down the path, watching her step and being as quiet as she could. After a while she could see Tom up ahead in a small clearing where a couple of paths met. She crouched down by a tree and watched what he would do. The song stopped and she realized he had been the one singing.

Tom stood in the clearing for a moment and then threw what he had carried under his arm off to the side. He turned and began walking back down the path the same way he came. Evalena stayed in her hiding place and watched as he passed where she was hiding.

When she was sure he was gone she stood up and walked back onto the path to go see what Tom had thrown away. She took a few steps towards the clearing when something grabbed her wrist. She let out a small shriek and turned around.

"Punk!" she stared at him. "What are you doing here?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing. Do you know what time it is?" Punk asked.

"Did you see Tom?" she asked.

"What? No I didn't see anyone. I followed you down here. I heard Rocky barking and I happened to glance out my window and saw you walking across the yard." Punk said.

"So you followed me?"

"Yeah, I remembered you said you walked in your sleep sometimes and I thought maybe you needed woke up or something. I didn't want you wandering off and getting lost or hurt." Punk said. "But you're wide awake, so what the hell are you doing?"

"I heard those noises upstairs again and then saw Tom leaving the inn carrying something. So I followed him to see what he was doing. Maybe explain what he does upstairs when we have no guests up there. And Punk, he was singing in a language I didn't understand." Evalena said.

"French? This is Louisiana." Punk sighed.

"It wasn't French. It sounded strange. And whatever he was carrying, he threw in that clearing and took off." Evalena said.

"Are you sure you weren't sleepwalking, maybe having a dream?" Punk asked.

"Punk, something strange is going on around here. The weird noises you could explain away, but why would he come out in the middle of the night to throw something away and leave?" she asked.

"I dunno. Why am I out here following you?" Punk said.

"I am gonna see if I can find what he threw away." Evalena said.

Evalena hurried into the clearing to find what Tom had thrown away. Punk groaned and followed her to the clearing.

"What do you think you are going to find? Do you know how crazy this is? You followed a man in the middle of the night instead of just asking him what he was doing." Punk said.

"Punk…if I tell you something, you promise not to think I am crazy?" Evalena said.

"I am standing in the middle of a swamp at 3 something in the morning with a woman who followed a man in here, how much crazier could this get?" Punk sighed.

"I think Tom is up to something I just don't know what. Why is he in those upstairs rooms in the middle of the night when we have no guests up there? Why is he out here throwing stuff away? Maybe he has committed a crime or something." Evalena said.

"I think your imagination is running away with you. Too much time working on your twice dead guy book." Punk said.

"Well whatever he threw, I can't find it in this dark." She sighed.

"Let's go back to the inn. I am sure there is a very reasonable and bland explanation for all this." Punk said. Punk pulled off his hoodie. "This night air has a chill to it and you're in just a tank top, put this on."

Punk handed Evalena his hoodie and she pulled it on over her head. "You think I am crazy?"

"Crazy? No. Just a bit curious and too imaginative." Punk smiled.

"You know you really are adorable when you smile." She said.

"At this time of the morning I am lucky to look human." Punk chuckled. "Come on."

Evalena and Punk walked back down the path and out of the woods. When they got to the inn they didn't see or hear anyone around. Punk walked with Evalena upstairs to the second floor.

"You gonna be okay the rest of the night?" he asked.

"Yeah, sorry that Rocky woke you."

"It's no problem. Just no more running off in the woods without at least a flashlight, okay?" Punk chuckled. "And try to quit letting your imagination run away with you. We are in a place so safe and dull I expect Barney Fife to walk by anytime now."

Evalena chuckled. "Guess I will see you in the morning."

"Try to get a few more hours sleep." Punk walked across the hall to his room.

"Punk." She called and he looked up at her. "Thanks for following me when you thought I was sleepwalking. It's nice that you would help me."

"No problem. Goodnight Evalena."

(Morning)

Punk had decided on a swim, thinking his knee could handle it. He had just walked down to the pool and was pulling his shirt off when he saw Evalena walking up out of the woods; coming from the same trail she had followed Tom on last night. He saw she was carrying something in her hand and looking around her. She spotted him by the pool and hurried over to him.

"What are you up to?" he asked.

"I went back to the clearing I saw Tom in. I wanted to find what he tossed away." Evalena said.

"And what was it? A dead hamster?" Punk chuckled.

"No, I am not sure what it was. Look at this." Evalena knelt down on the patio by the pool and emptied the contents of the small black bag.

Punk knelt down and saw some used green candles, a bottle of some substance, and a few small roots. Evalena looked up at Punk, confusion clear on her face.

"What do you think this is?" she asked.

"Not sure, maybe some kind of luck charms or something. This is Louisiana." Punk shrugged.

"But to throw them out?" Evalena asked. "And I grew up around mountain magic folklore and such and I never seen anything like this before."

"Mountain magic?" Punk asked.

"Sure, Appalachia is full of tales of witches and curses. A real collection of folklore from Europe that settlers brought with them." She said.

"I think this is probably some kind of good luck charms or something. The Beauchene's probably believe some of the local folklore, the family has been here for generations." Punk shrugged.

"Maybe, but I am going into town to do a little research. Even if it is harmless, I wanna know what exactly Tom is up to." Evalena said.

"Does it matter?" Punk asked.

Evalena looked at him. "I have to know."

"Curiosity killed the cat." Punk gave a small smile.

"I will let you know what I find out. I hope it is all innocent and just goofy folklore." Evalena said.

(Evening)

Evalena hurried up the stairs of the inn, carrying bags and the books she had found in town. She hurried down the hall to Punk's room and knocked on the door. After a minute Punk answered the door.

"Miss Cole, back from town I see." Punk said.

"I brought us dinner. Can I come in so we can talk?" Evalena asked.

"Sure, what did you bring?" Punk let her in.

"Surf and Turf. Surf for you and turf for me. I know you don't eat land animals." Evalena set the food on the small table in the corner.

"You remembered?" Punk chuckled. "I appreciate it."

"And I found out some interesting things in town." Evalena said as she sat down across from Punk.

"Let me guess, harmless charms." Punk said.

"I am not sure yet. Still unsure about a few things. Punk, do you believe in voodoo?" Evalena asked.

"No."

"Hoodoo?" she asked.

"No."

"Black magic?" she asked.

"No."

"Satan worship?" she asked.

"I believe people worship the devil but I don't believe he exists." Punk said.

"What?"

"I am an atheist." Punk said. "No God, no Satan."

Evalena sat back and frowned. She seemed upset by that.

"Tell me what you found out." Punk urged her.

"I went to a few of the voodoo shops in town and talked to some of the old timers and people with knowledge of voodoo and such of the area." Evalena said.

"What did they tell you?" Punk asked as he ate.

"I didn't tell them how I found the bag, just that I did. They looked at the contents and told me that from the looks of the contents of the bag, it is the remnants of someone trying to use magic to gain money. Green candles are used in voodoo, hoodoo and black magic to pray for money." Evalena said.

"See, Tom is probably trying this hocus pocus to get rich." Punk shrugged.

"One lady told me, when someone has finished the ritual, they must take all the ritual items to a crossroads and throw them away then leave without looking back. That is exactly what Tom did." Evalena said. "Tom is practicing some kind of black magic or hoodoo or something."

"And? He isn't hurting anyone." Punk shrugged. "Besides, I think he is wasting his time."

"I asked a few more questions…about that…worship place we found with the pentagrams and all. One of the voodoo priestesses told me that from my description…it was a black magic altar. She also told me black magic is dangerous and involves Satan." Evalena said.

"You don't believe all this nonsense do you? I still say that was some kids trying to piss off their parents." Punk said.

"I also told her I have heard a lot of weird things at 3AM…..she told me 3AM is the devil's hour." She explained.

"The devil's hour?"

"Christians believe that when Jesus was crucified he died at 3PM in the afternoon. So the opposite of 3PM...which would be 3AM is the devil's hour." Evalena explained.

"I think you have seen too many movies. This sounds so ridiculous that it's laughable." Punk said.

"Punk, what if Tom is practicing devil worship. He could be dangerous." Evalena said.

"This stuff is only dangerous if you believe it, and I don't. It's one campfire story; we're just missing the campfire and marshmallows." Punk said.

"Punk, demons, the devil…it is all real. I have heard missionaries talk about it that have dealt with it in other nations where they were practicing devil worship and black magic." Evalena said.

"I am sure they thought it was real. But some people are so wrapped up in religion that they will believe anything." Punk said. "Besides, maybe it was ghosts. I do think ghosts exist…people with unfinished business or something. I have even done some ghost hunting."

"Can I tell you a few stories I have heard from very reliable and sane missionaries I have met over the years?" she asked.

"Sure, but I doubt I will believe it." Punk said.

"Do you believe in demon possession?" she asked.

"No. I think people that are 'possessed' are really suffering from a mental problem, maybe schizophrenia or something." Punk said.

"An evangelist I met told me this story….he had been put in contact with a young veteran in Georgia that was having a hard time. So the evangelist would email him scripture to read that he thought would help him or the veteran would find meaningful. However, the veteran reported that every time he would open a Bible and try to read those passages, he would become angry for no reason and throw the Bible across the room." She said.

"That hardly means he was possessed." Punk said.

"There is more. When the evangelist finally came to a church near where the veteran lived to hold a revival, the veteran came. During the altar call…the veteran came to the altar to pray. The evangelist was walking along the altar, touching shoulders for comfort and prayer….and when he touched the veteran…that guy started growling like an animal and wrapped himself around the evangelist's leg, growling and wouldn't let go." Evalena said.

"So what happened then?"

"The evangelist then realized the veteran was possessed and called every elder and strong believer he could in that church and they prayed over the veteran for over an hour but finally…the boy calmed down….and told them he could feel the demons leave him." Evalena said.

"I am sure they believe that. But to me it sounds like he had PTSD from being at war and the church and prayer gave him comfort." Punk said. "What else have you heard?"

"Never mind. You're an atheist, you wouldn't believe it anyway." Evalena sighed.

"Look, if you believe that, that is fine. I don't. Just don't let your beliefs make you afraid of Tom or anything. You have been here three weeks now and nothing has harmed you." Punk said.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, no one has hurt you or me. Nothing bad has happened. Everything is fine. You have nothing to worry about." Punk said.

"I hope you are right." Evalena said.

_**Author's Note- **__I wrote this from the theory that atheists do not believe in Satan because they believe there is not God. This is not intended to influence your beliefs or reflect my own; this is just a fictional story. I have read that Punk is an atheist and it was part of the inspiration for this story. Also, the story about the military vet is a story that I heard from a friend of mine that I decided to include here. Hope you all enjoyed the chapter. More coming soon. _


	6. Dreams or Warnings?

_Evalena was walking in the woods. She could hear Rocky barking but no matter how much she called to him, he would not come to her. She felt as if she was being watched but did not see anyone around her. _

_ "Evalena!" Punk called out._

_ "Punk! Punk where are you?" she yelled. _

_ "Evalena!" he yelled again._

_ "Tell me where you are!" she yelled again and began to run. _

_ She didn't know where she was. The woods seemed thick and she couldn't recognize anything around her. _

_ "Evalena it hurts!" Punk yelled._

_ "Where are you? I will help you. What is hurting you?" she yelled. _

_ She ran further and was suddenly knocked down to the ground. She looked up and saw Tom standing over her. _

_ "Tom, one of the guests is hurt." Evalena told him._

_ Tom stared at her and didn't say anything. _

_ "Did you hear me? Punk is hurt. He needs me." Evalena tried to get up but suddenly couldn't move._

_ "Stop before bad things happen to those you care about. It is not any of your affair." Tom told her. _

_ "What are you talking about? Punk needs help!" Evalena yelled and tried to move. _

_ "This is your final warning. Stop and leave things alone." Tom told her._

_ Rocky suddenly appeared at Tom's side but he was covered in blood. _

_ Evalena screamed as Tom walked away. _

"Evalena, open up the door! Are you okay?" Punk was pounding on the door to her room.

Evalena jerked awake and looked around. Rocky was awake and standing at the door. She realized she had been dreaming.

"Evalena!" Punk pounded on the door.

Evalena jumped out of bed and hurried to answer the door. Punk was standing there in his pajama bottoms looking quite concerned.

"What the fuck is going on? You have been screaming bloody murder in there." Punk said.

"I was…dreaming." Evalena said.

"You were yelling my name. You were so loud you woke me up." Punk said.

"I was having a nightmare…I could hear you but couldn't find you." She said.

"All this mumbo jumbo nonsense is giving you nightmares." Punk said.

"Did you tell Tom I found his bag or was asking questions in town?" Evalena asked.

"No, I haven't seen him since yesterday. Why?"

"In my dream he was warning me to leave things alone. Not to ask questions about what he was doing." Evalena said.

"It was just a dream. People cannot invade your dreams." Punk said.

"I…I guess you're right." She said.

"You need to just focus on your book about twice dead Clarence and quit thinking about voodoo or black magic." Punk said.

"Maybe." She didn't sound convinced.

"You gonna be okay now? You scared the hell out of me." Punk said.

"I will be fine. Thank you for checking on me." She said.

"Anytime. Try to get some rest." Punk said and headed back to his room.

Evalena shut the door and looked around her room. Everything was normal. Then she saw the clock beside her bed….it was just a little after 3AM.

(Thursday Night)

Evalena was sitting up in her room working on her book. She had spent a good portion of the evening working. Laying out the chapters about Roberts' widow's actions after the first fire. She knew Punk was not in, Jeff Hardy had come in for the evening and they had gone into New Orleans for the evening.

She glanced out the window and saw Tom heading into the woods again. She looked at the clock, instead of being 3AM it was just a little before midnight. She hurried and pulled on her shoes and ran down the stairs. She was going to find out exactly what Tom was doing. Despite what Punk believed, Evalena worried that everything was not just harmless folklore and charms.

She quietly slipped out of her room and down the stairs. She hurried out the back door of the inn and down to the trail she had seen Tom take. She quietly crept along the path, not able to see Tom. She finally came upon the clearing and hid so Tom could not see her.

Tom was in the clearing, lighting candles and arranging them in a pattern. She held her breath so that Tom wouldn't know she was there. She quietly watched as Tom knelt down by the candles and seemed to begin praying or meditating.

Evalena got up as quietly as she could and slowly backed away from the clearing before finally turning around and running all the way back to the inn. She turned to look back to see if Tom had followed her and collided with someone, knocking her to the ground.

"Evalena, what the hell are you doing?" Punk asked.

She looked up and saw Punk standing there with a soda in his hand. Then looked over and saw Jeff building a fire in the fire pit.

"When did you get back?" she asked.

"Just now, we were gonna relax by a fire before going to bed for the night. Now what the hell are you doing?" Punk asked, helping her up.

"I followed Tom back to the clearing. I saw him head down there so I followed." Evalena said.

"Again? I think you are bordering on stalking." Punk said.

"He is up to something. He was lighting candles and doing some kind of praying." She insisted.

"Evalena…you are taking this too far. Enough is enough. Even if he is into voodoo or whatever, he is not hurting anyone. Let it go!" Punk said.

"But doesn't it bother you?"

"No, because no matter what he believes it doesn't affect me…or you for that matter. Just let it go!" Punk said.

"But…."

"No, now if you wanna chase Tom around and get in his personal business just leave me out of it. You are getting ridiculous." Punk said and walked over to join Jeff.

Evalena dusted herself off and hurried back into the inn and to her room.

"What is with her?" Jeff asked Punk.

"She thinks the owner of the inn is practicing voodoo or something." Punk rolled his eyes.

"She's cute." Jeff chuckled. "Thought you liked crazy chicks."

"That was a gimmick and you know it." Punk said. "I was really starting to like her but…I think she is a little weird now. Make that a whole lot weird." Punk shrugged.

(Later)

_ Evalena woke up in a place she didn't recognize. She looked around her and saw candles all around her. She tried to move but found she was paralyzed. _

_ "What? PUNK!" she yelled. "Punk, something is wrong with me!" _

_ "Yell all you want, he can't hear you." Tom appeared beside her._

_ "What is this? Why can't I move?" she yelled._

_ "I told you to leave things alone. I know you followed me to the crossroads tonight!" Tom said._

_ "What does that have to do with anything?" Evalena yelled. "What the hell is this all about?"_

_ "You pinned an angel on your mother in the hospital before she died and made sure she was buried with it." Tom said._

_ Evalena was stunned. "How do you know that?"_

_ "You would be amazed at what I know…..Sissy." Tom said. _

_ "What do you want?" Evalena yelled. _

_ "I told you to stay out of my business." Tom said. _

_ "And? You wouldn't be pulling all this if you weren't up to something dreadful!" Evalena yelled._

_ "There are things in life you are not meant to know!" Tom said._

_ "Fuck that! What are you doing? What are you up to?" Evalena yelled._

_ "That is not your concern! Stay out of my way!" Tom said. _

_ "Fuck! Let me up you sick bastard!" Evalena yelled. _

"Evalena, for fuck's sake open the door! Are you okay?" Punk pounded on the door to her room.

"Maybe we should get someone to let us in." Jeff said.

Evalena leaped out of bed and jerked open the door launching into Punk and wrapping her arms around him. Punk was stunned and held his arms out as she clung to him for dear life.

"Punk! Tom knows I followed him. He knows things he shouldn't about me, stuff from my family!" she was nearly hysterical.

"Calm down, calm down. Are you okay? Was someone in there with you?" Punk asked.

Evalena shook her head still clinging to Punk.

"Is Rocky okay?" Punk asked.

"I dunno." She said.

"Jeff go check on her dog." Punk said.

Jeff stepped into the room and saw Rocky watching them closely. "Her dog is fine. I don't see any signs of a struggle."

Punk wrapped his arms around Evalena and rubbed her back to try soothing her. "What happened? Calm down and tell us what happened. Did you have another dream?"

"It was more than a dream. Tom was there and he knew things about my mama. He knew the nickname daddy has called me my entire life." She said.

"Calm down. You were dreaming. Tom didn't know those things; your mind just put them in your dream." Punk told her.

"Punk, what if Tom tries to hurt me?" Evalena said. "Maybe I should go home to finish my book."

"Evalena, look at me." Punk pulled away from her, making her look at him. "Tom is not going to hurt you. Now you have to stop this nonsense. You have got yourself so worked up that you are having screaming nightmares and talking crazy. You had a dream, nothing else."

"But Punk…."

"Evalena, stop! Have you seen Tom do anything to hurt anyone while you have been following him around? Has he done anything to hurt any of the guests since you been here?" Punk asked.

"No." Evalena admitted.

"Then calm down and stop worrying. When you do the nightmares will stop and you will feel better." Punk said.

Evalena stayed quiet, realizing Punk would never believe her and half wondering if he was right.

"Do you think you will be able to sleep now or do you want a sedative?" Jeff broke her from her thoughts.

"I….I think I will be okay." Evalena said.

"Try not to have any more nightmares. The way you were screaming and Rocky barking, I thought you were being murdered." Punk said.

Evalena nodded. "I will see you later."

"Get some rest." He smiled and watched her walk back into her room.

She shut the door and sat down on her bed. She glanced at the clock. It was just after 3AM.

_**Author's Note- Special thanks to the awesome ilynany for the consistent reviews! Would love to have more feedback, it helps a writer a lot! Hope everyone is enjoying the story. More coming soon. **_


	7. Believing, Stubborness and Confusion

(Friday)

Evalena sat in the library yawning as she scanned dozens of old newspapers looking for information on the Beauchene's or the inn. She was exhausted as she had not been able to sleep anymore the night before after her too realistic nightmare. Not able to accept that it was a dream and believing that Tom was up to something she had come into New Orleans to research anything she could find on any of the Beauchene's.

So far she had not found anything out of the ordinary, but did notice that every time New Orleans had been hit by a hurricane, the Beauchene Inn always suffered minimal damage despite being so close to Lake Pontchartrain. Even after the severity of Hurricane Katrina, they had suffered so little damage that one newspaper ran an article on Beauchene's being so fortunate. Tom had been interviewed as saying how 'well protected by a higher power' his family business has been.

"Higher power….note he did not say God….just a higher power." Evalena said to herself.

She looked in newspapers going back to 1913 and could not find anything with negative press about The Beauchene Inn. Finally giving up newspapers, she walked over to a row of computers, choosing one at the end where she wouldn't be bothered. She sat down and began searching the internet for anything on the Beauchene's she could find.

"1897….George Beauchene opened Beauchene Inn near Lake Pontchartrain….George a longtime resident of New Orleans, married with two sons, Samuel and Thomas…." She read an article on the history of the inn on a travel website. "George Beauchene was left nearly penniless at the end of the Civil War….made a financial comeback in the stock market earning him the money to open the inn."

"Isn't that interesting…..so after being left broke at the end of the war he miraculously becomes wealthy again and opens an inn….an inn that also miraculously is never badly damaged despite numerous hurricanes and tornadoes in the course of more than 100 years." Evalena frowned as she mumbled to herself.

"1912…George Beauchene dies and family business is taken over by son Thomas Beauchene…wonder if that is who Tom was named after." Evalena continued searching. "Whoa….Thomas died 1940…..his son Jacob took over running the inn but was killed in 1944 while serving in Europe during WWII at which point Thomas' youngest son Calvin took over running the inn."

Evalena began looking for Calvin Beauchene and found several articles regarding his death in 1988.

"Calvin survived by his son Joseph Beauchene, daughter-in-law Martha and grandson Thomas….Calvin lived his entire life in New Orleans helping run the family business the Beauchene Inn which he took over in 1944 following the death of his brother Jacob." Evalena said. "So that is five generations of Beauchene's involved with running the inn."

Evalena tried a new tactic and tried to find out exactly what Tom had been up to in the woods and anything else she could on hoodoo or black magic. She was surprised there were so many websites out there on the subject, but became frustrated when so much of it seemed like charms and spells that were innocent and almost silly…just as Punk kept telling her.

"Wait…..wait a minute….sell yourself to the devil….crossroads! I got you, you son of bitch!" Evalena yelled, causing several people to turn and look at her. "Ummm, man problems."

She quickly gathered her things and hurried out of the library.

(Beauchene Inn)

Evalena pulled up in front of the inn and jumped out of her car. She hurried into the inn, glancing around her for any signs of Tom. Seeing him no where she hurried up the stairs and knocked on the door to Punk's room.

Punk answered the door, looking as if she had woken him up.

"I am sorry, did I wake you?" Evalena said.

"Yeah, I was napping. Someone keeps waking me up screaming at night." Punk said.

"Sorry, do you have a few minutes to talk?" Evalena asked.

"Sure, come on in." Punk stepped aside and let her in.

"Okay, first thing I need is for you to open your mind and just accept the possibility of something being real that you never thought could be." Evalena sat down at the table.

"Oh hell….what now?" Punk groaned.

"I went into town and did some research at the library. I looked up hoodoo and the history of the Beauchene Inn." Evalena explained and started pulling out some of the copies she had made.

"Evalena…"

"Just listen. First of all, I think Tom sold his soul to the devil and because of that the devil protects him and his family, maybe even gives him some supernatural powers, I dunno. You know how he keeps going to the crossroads? There is a spell or whatever that you can meet the devil at the crossroads and sell your soul to him in return for what you want. I think Tom is so mixed up in this hoodoo or black magic that he has sold his soul to Satan." Evalena said.

"If he had done this and the devil would give him what he wanted….why would he be here in the middle of nowhere. Wouldn't it make more sense to be a millionaire living in some posh mansion?" Punk raised an eyebrow.

"I don't think Tom is the first Beauchene to sell his soul to the devil, I think it is a family practice going back for generations." Evalena said. "And I think as a result of that, Satan protects the inn."

"It is official, you are insane." Punk sighed.

"Open mind, remember?" she said. "Look at this….Tom's great-great-grandfather George Beauchene was left penniless at the end of the Civil War…lots of southerners were, that is fact. However, George then struck it huge in the stock market becoming wealthy and eventually opening this inn. I think George sold his soul to the devil in return for wealth. A lot of slaves and former slaves practiced hoodoo and it wouldn't be that much of a stretch that George had run into someone who could teach him black magic or whatever."

"Is that all?" Punk asked.

"No…..I think all the following generations have continued to sell themselves to the devil and in return the devil has preserved the inn." Evalena said. "Look at this…1915, the New Orleans hurricane…..winds of 130 mph, two landmark churches collapsed, roofs blown off many houses, half of an amusement park destroyed, and major flooding in New Orleans….but the Beauchene inn suffered minimal damage and didn't even have to close for repairs!"

"Luck maybe, chance, whatever." Punk said.

"Once maybe, but over 100 years of hurricanes and tornadoes and this inn never suffered major damage. Louisiana Hurricane 1920, Louisiana Hurricane 1926, Fort Lauderdale Hurricane 1947, Tropical Storm Arlene 1959, Hurricane Bob 1979….all caused significant damage in New Orleans…..Beauchene Inn withstands and very little damage." Evalena showed him articles she had copied. "And what about Hurricane Katrina….this place should've been severely damaged if not wiped out. Instead the Beauchene's are making news for being 'blessed' enough to not have any major damage. That ALONE should raise red flags…we all remember how badly New Orleans was destroyed."

"Okay, I will admit this I can't explain away. But it doesn't mean the devil is doing anything. Maybe it is the opposite….maybe it's angels or benevolent beings or whatever." Punk said. "Even if I don't believe it…..guess it could be. And some island in South Carolina has a legend about a ghost that guards houses in hurricanes. Maybe the Beauchene's have one."

"What about the fact that Rocky hates all the Beauchene's and carries on every time one is remotely near him? You have seen that yourself." Evalena said.

"Yeah, so?"

"So, the Beauchene's must have part of the devil in them or something. Animals can sense evil. Rocky senses the evil in them, that is why he hates them and is always upset around them." Evalena said.

"Oh for fuck's sake. Have you been watching movies?" Punk asked. "The Skeleton Key'?"

"No."

"Angel Heart'?" Punk asked.

"No."

"The Serpent and the Rainbow'?" Punk asked.

"No."

"Venom'?"

"No."

"Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom'?" Punk asked.

"That is not really about hoodoo." Evalena said.

"No, but it is as farfetched as what you are saying. If you really believe this…..I dunno." Punk sighed.

"Punk, I know you are an atheist…..but I have been there when someone died that believed in God and was ready for death….and I have also been there when someone died who wasn't…..and it is a huge difference in the things they see as they are dying. I believe in God, the devil, good and evil. And I really believe the Beauchene's are evil." Evalena said.

"Well I don't and I am really tired of hearing about it." Punk said.

"I dunno what to do. I am kinda scared." Evalena said.

"Did you find anything to suggest the Beauchene's….any of them have ever harmed anyone?" Punk asked.

"No." Evalena admitted.

"Then forget about all this. Even if the Beauchene's practice devil worship or whatever…live and let live. It is their business as long as no one is hurt." Punk said.

"It doesn't scare you?"

"Of course not because I don't believe any of this." Punk said.

"I dunno what to do." Evalena said.

"Nothing and for Pete's sake take my advice and forget this. You may make yourself sick if you don't." Punk said.

"I'll give it a few days. But I still think I am right." Evalena said.

"Fine, just leave me out of it. I like hanging out with you but I don't wanna hear any more about this." Punk said.

"I will let you get back to your nap." Evalena said, frustrated she couldn't make him believe her.

"I will talk to you later." Punk said.

"Sure." Evalena said and gathered her things, hurrying out of his room.

(Later)

It was raining outside so Evalena had decided to try working on her book in her room for a while. She was working to put the Beauchene's out of her mind and focus on her book. She didn't want to bother Punk so thought if she just forgot about it, maybe she would feel better. And she wanted to complete her book early so she could spend some time researching the Moate case.

She looked up when Rocky started growling.

"Rocky, there is no one here." She said.

Rocky continued barking and Evalena noticed smoke starting in one of the corners by the dresser.

"Oh no, there is a fire. Good boy, you knew it!" she said and jumped up, grabbing the doorknob. The door would not open. She double checked and the door was not locked. "What the…..?"

She looked back seeing more smoke appearing, the room was really starting to fill up. Rocky was barking and growling.

"Hey! Let me out! There is a fire! Let me out!" she screamed and pounded on the door.

She tried the knob again but the door would not budge. She looked around the room and saw flames starting to shoot up around the baseboards.

"Fuck! Let me out of here! My room is on fire!" she screamed and kicked at the door.

She looked around knowing it was too high up to jump and she was not willing to leave Rocky behind. She began coughing from the smoke. She pounded and kicked at the door.

"Help! Punk! My door won't open!" she screamed.

She coughed more as Rocky ran over to her; she could see the flames reaching the curtains.

Suddenly her door opened and Punk hurried in the room. "What the fuck?" he yelled. She started to run out but Punk grabbed her wrist. "What the fuck is wrong with you, there is no fire!"

She looked around wide-eyed. There was no flames, no smoke, everything was clean and undamaged. She was confused, even Rocky had stopped barking but was sniffing around the baseboards.

"Punk, I swear the room was on fire and I couldn't get my door open." Evalena was shaking.

Tom appeared in the doorway. "Is there a problem up here? We heard screaming."

Evalena couldn't find her voice. Rocky began barking and growling. Punk grabbed his collar.

"Could you please check her door? Evalena seems to have gotten locked in or her door jammed or something." Punk said. "I am gonna take her to the parlor for a bit so she can calm down. She is a little shaken up."

"Of course Mr. Brooks. I will work on this door right away. So sorry Miss Cole." Tom said, giving her an odd smirk.

She glared at him, realizing he knew what had happened in her room even if she didn't understand it. Punk pulled her and Rocky out the door, Rocky fighting hard to get loose. Punk led them both down the stairs and into the parlor. Rocky calmed down and laid his head in Evalena's lap as she sat down. She carefully patted his head.

"Okay, now tell me what happened." Punk said.

"I was working on my book and suddenly Rocky was barking and the room was filling up with smoke and flames and I couldn't get out." Evalena said.

"You were dreaming. You must've fallen asleep." Punk rubbed her shoulder.

"I was not asleep!" she snapped.

"Calm down." Punk said. "Think about it….you thought you were in a fire…your book is about a guy that died in two different fires."

"I was not asleep!" she insisted.

"You said you walk in your sleep. You had to be dreaming. Your room is fine, no smoke, and no flames…not even the smell of smoke." Punk said.

"I think I should go home to Tennessee. I don't feel safe here anymore." Evalena said.

"You are just upset. Calm down." Punk sat down beside her. "I still think you should calm down and give it a few days. I am telling ya if you stop all this nonsense you will stop having dreams and start enjoying being here again."

"I don't know." Evalena said.

"Tell you what. If you promise to put all this hoodoo nonsense out of your head, tomorrow you and I can head into town together and do something. I think you need a fun distraction." Punk smiled.

"Okay, but the next weird thing that happens and I am out of here!" Evalena said.

_**Author's note- **__Just want to emphasize again that the material in this story is not intended to influence anyone's beliefs or reflect my own; it is simply part of a fiction story. Not getting much feedback so I have no clue how readers are taking this story so I am once again putting a disclaimer here. _


	8. Saturday in the Big Easy

(Saturday)

Punk knocked on the door to Evalena's room. He had been waiting for over two hours for her to come out of her room so they could make plans for the day, but she had never appeared. He had even thought maybe she had let her fears get the better of her and left the inn in the middle of the night but he saw her car parked out front.

"Evalena? You here?" Punk knocked again.

Finally Evalena opened the door. She was in her nightgown and it was obvious Punk had woke her up.

"Hey Punk…what's going on?" she asked.

"I wanted to see when you wanted to head into town. It's nearly noon." Punk said.

"Oh…is it? Sorry, I….had a hard time falling asleep last night….guess I finally passed out from exhaustion." Evalena said. "Come on in. I'll get ready and we can head out."

Punk knew he could've waited in his own room but had a feeling Evalena didn't want to be alone so he decided to just wait in her room.

"You can sit anywhere." Evalena said and shut the door. "What did you have in mind for today?"

"Figured we could find something to do and then later have dinner." Punk said. "Was there anything in town you had wanted to do but hadn't got the chance yet?"

"Well I was hugely disappointed to see it had no amusement parks except for a few with kiddie rides." Evalena said as she dug through her closet.

"I am sure we will find something to do." Punk said.

"Give me about a half hour, I am gonna shower and get dressed. Just make yourself at home." Evalena smiled.

Punk nodded as she went into the bathroom and shut the door. Punk looked around her room. Rocky was sleeping on the small couch so Punk sat on the edge of the bed. He noticed her laptop and paperwork on the table. He heard the water in the bathroom start.

He was startled when his phone started ringing. He pulled it out of his pocket and saw John was calling him.

"Hello." Punk answered.

"And how is everything in the bayou?" John asked.

"Pretty good. My knee feels pretty good. Jeff was here this week. How are the guys?" Punk asked.

"Oh the usual. Paul ripped Heath a new one for getting caught with a mat rat in a car outside the arena. Leyfield is off climbing another mountain. And Randy got mobbed by some overeager groupies at IHOP last night." John chuckled.

"I am glad I missed that." Punk chuckled.

"So what are you doing today? Anything exciting? Been saving the damsel from more alligators?" John snickered.

"You are a pain you know that." Punk groaned. "Actually, Evalena and I are hanging out today."

"A date?" John asked.

"No, just taking her into town for a bit. I think she needs a distraction. She has this crazy idea that Tom Beauchene practices black magic and is trying to harm her." Punk said.

"I thought you liked crazy chicks." John laughed.

"That was just a gimmick. Besides, it's really getting to her. She is having nightmares and not able to sleep well." Punk said.

"Lots of people are superstitious." John said.

"I think she is too superstitious." Punk said.

"Maybe you can be her hero and save her from the evil inn owner." John chuckled.

"Do you sit around and think up shit to say?" Punk rolled his eyes.

"Come on Philip, if you didn't have a thing for her you would just tell her to fuck off and be done with it. I know you." John said.

"Don't call me that. And she is just my friend and I don't wanna see her upset and scared is all." Punk said.

"Sure sure, but if you two end up together Randy owes me a hundred bucks!" John chuckled.

"You fuckers are betting on my personal life?" Punk groaned.

"We were just talking and I mentioned Evalena's book, Randy reads a lot too ya know….and I may have told him about Evalena….and said I wouldn't be surprised if you two ended up hooking up…..and Randy said that he didn't think it would ever happen because you say it's hard dating someone not in the wrestling business….next thing you know we were betting on it." John said.

"Why am I friends with you guys?" Punk rolled his eyes again.

"Well have fun today; I am headed to lunch with Kofi." John said.

"Thanks, I will call you later in the week." Punk said.

"And remember…not every chick likes tongue on a first kiss." John chuckled.

"Thanks for the unneeded advice jerkoff." Punk said.

"Anytime." John laughed and hung up.

Punk shook his head at his friend's antics. He heard the shower turn off and waited patiently for Evalena to emerge.

"Be out in just a minute." Evalena called through the door.

"Take your time. No hurry." Punk told her.

Rocky suddenly woke up and stared at the ceiling. He growled low in his throat and Punk could hear footsteps in the room above them. He frowned but decided to ignore it as just the dog being protective.

Finally Evalena walked out of the bathroom dressed in jeans and a blue top. She pulled on her sandals.

"I am ready to go, just let me grab my purse." She smiled. "You want me to drive?"

"Nah today is my treat." Punk said. "Come on."

(Musee Conti)

"I can't believe you wanted to come to a wax museum." Evalena chuckled as they entered the front of the museum.

"I like visiting sites while I can when I travel. And sounds like it could be interesting. Has a great reputation." Punk shrugged.

"You're an interesting man Philip Brooks." She smiled at him. "Full of surprises."

He looked up at her. "Is that bad?"

"No, it's nice. You're not dull and you are unique." She said.

He smiled. "That's the first time you ever used my real name."

She shrugged. "I felt like it that time. And you really are adorable when you smile."

"Thanks." Punk smiled. "Come on, let's start the tour."

Evalena and Punk walked through the lobby and moved to where the exhibits started. The museum was set up in wax displays depicting the history of New Orleans. The exhibits started with 1699 and the Choctaw Native Americans.

"This city is nearly 300 years old." Evalena said. "Not really old compared to some cities around the world, but makes special anyway."

"Did you like history in school?" Punk asked.

"Yeah, while it put most people to sleep…I always liked learning about the past. Especially American history…I guess because it was our history. And my dad likes history so it was something we have in common. Of course he always failed history in school because he hated sitting around reading and studying. He is more a get out and do it person. He likes visiting historical sites so this kind of place would be right up his alley."

"It is wonderful that you two are close. He sounds like a great guy." Punk said.

"Oh…I'm sorry I didn't mean to…well you said you and your dad…." Evalena seemed to struggle for words.

"No. Don't apologize." Punk laid a hand on her shoulder. "And don't ever hide how wonderful your father is to you. Be proud of him every chance you get."

Evalena smiled. "That is wonderful advice."

"Come on, Napoleon in the bathtub is up ahead and everyone says it is a must see." Punk walked along the displays.

"Was he really in a bathtub when he decided to sell the Louisiana Territory?" Evalena chuckled.

"No clue. But it is a humorous depiction either way." Punk chuckled.

They walked further into the museum. Chatting as they viewed the displays and Punk hoped Evalena was forgetting all the voodoo nonsense she had been talking. He was happy to see she appeared relaxed and to be enjoying herself.

"You know….I never liked Andrew Jackson. He is probably my least favorite president….nah Reagan….maybe it's a tie." Evalena said as they looked at the Battle of New Orleans display.

"What's your deal with Jackson?"

"A lot of reasons." She said.

They walked further through the displays. Evalena had to admit she was impressed at how much Punk knew and was glad he was well read and intelligent.

"Who is Madame LaLaurie?" Punk asked.

"Delphine LaLaurie…..she was a serial killer. Brutalized and murdered her slaves before a fire at her home exposed her treachery." Evalena said.

"You study her in some of your criminal classes?" Punk asked.

"Yes and the psychologist in me doesn't believe for one second she was just curious about medical knowledge and performing crude experiments in a day and time where medical knowledge was limited…..that is a theory about her." Evalena said.

Punk gave her an amused look. "So Miss Cole, what is your diagnosis?"

"She was a sociopath that because of time and place had the perfect, helpless victims to prey on. She was a sadist that knew exactly what she was doing and medical experiments had nothing to do with it. She knew exactly what she was doing and the bitch enjoyed it." Evalena said.

"Would I be challenging your expertise to ask what evidence you have it wasn't misguided medical experiments?" Punk asked, intrigued and impressed with her diagnosis on such an old case.

"Delphine LaLaurie kept her 70 year old cook chained to the kitchen stove….that is fact as it is how she was found by authorities. Also fact is that a 12 year old girl jumped to her death to avoid being beaten while chased by a whip welding Delphine…Delphine was beating her because as the child was brushing her hair, the brush caught on a knot or something and caused a tug on Delphine's hair. Neither of those incidences have anything to do with learning about medicine!" Evalena said.

Punk smiled. "I can't argue with that and I don't even know much about this case. You're something else."

"So you don't think I am just a nerd?" Evalena asked.

"I dunno, were you in band in high school?" Punk chuckled.

"Yes and in college I was part of the Pride of Southland band but I was a majorette!" Evalena smiled.

"I bet you were so cute in your little uniform dancing around the field." Punk said.

"Are you patronizing me?"

"No I mean it, I don't think majorettes count as band geeks." Punk winked.

"I can live with that." She chuckled.

"So if we tour the chamber of horrors here are you gonna have more nightmares?" Punk asked.

"I…..maybe we should skip it." Evalena said. "Just to be safe."

Punk nodded as they continued through the museum.

(Dinner)

After spending a couple of hours at the wax museum, Evalena and Punk had decided to have dinner at a Chinese buffet restaurant. Punk was glad that Evalena seemed happy and hadn't made any mention of Tom.

"The wax museum was a great idea." Evalena said as they ate.

"I enjoyed it. Can't believe they also have facilities for big parties and weddings. Who gets married at a wax museum?" Punk laughed.

"I think it would be interesting. It's not cliché like a church or beach or gardens or Vegas." She laughed.

"Got a point there." He agreed. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"You said you have a block against my name…can I ask what it is?" he asked.

Evalena took a deep breath. "My grandfather's name was Philip and I hate him."

Punk frowned. "Oh, well…calling me Punk is fine."

Evalena was silent for several minutes and Punk wondered if he had upset her by asking. He thought maybe he should apologize when she startled him out of his thoughts.

"He abused my dad and his siblings." Evalena blurted out.

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize it was something so personal and upsetting." Punk said.

"I…..I just didn't want you to think that I hated a family member without good reason." Evalena said.

"I didn't think you would. You don't come off as the type that would." Punk assured her.

"He was grabby/feely with the women in the family too." She blurted again.

"Did he hurt you?" Punk paled.

"No, my mama would've killed him. He grabbed her just one time and mama slapped him, right across the face and told him if he ever tried it again she would knock him off the hillside, we lived on a hill. And she meant it!" Evalena gave a small smile. "Besides, my grandfather didn't like me. Told my mother I wouldn't amount to anything in life."

Punk groaned. Just his luck he had accidentally brought up a man that sounded like a world class asshole.

"Well now that you are educated and successful, he must think differently." Punk tried.

"He's dead. He never saw me grow up beyond 11 years old. And I wasn't around him much so…..that's that." Evalena said.

"I'm sorry. And for what it's worth I think you are wonderful and very successful." Punk reached over and squeezed her hand. "And John is so excited about your books I wouldn't be surprised if he camps out at Barnes and Noble waiting on their release like people did over those Harry Potter books! And knowing him he'll drag about 10 of us along and tweet about it."

Evalena chuckled. "Thank you. You have been a very good friend to me this week. I really appreciate it."

"No thanks needed." He smiled and continued eating his dinner.


	9. Bloody Mess

(Monday)

Nothing else had happened around the Beauchene Inn and after two whole days of peace and quiet, even Evalena was starting to wonder if maybe Punk was right about everything. She was beginning to think that maybe her imagination had gotten the better of her and even if Tom was into black magic, he wasn't harming anyone.

Monday afternoon, Evalena had given up working on her book for the afternoon and decided to take a swim. Punk had gone into New Orleans to have a specialist check his knee, but he had assured her it was fine and he was feeling no pain. They had made plans to watch Raw together that night.

Evalena jumped in the pool and swam a few laps across the pool. Rocky was lying by the pool watching her. She swam over to the edge and reached up to pat Rocky's head.

"Sorry baby, I don't think the Beauchene's would appreciate you swimming in their pool. I promise when we go back to Tennessee we'll go swim in the pond." She told Rocky.

Rocky stood up and started barking and growling.

"Rocky? What's wrong?" she asked and looked around.

She saw the water in the pool was turning red and then the smell hit her nose….blood. She started to scream and climb out of the pool but something dragged her back in and under the water. She fought to get loose and couldn't tell what was holding her under the water that was now blood through the entire pool. She kicked her legs and tried desperately to reach the surface for air.

Rocky leaped into the pool, going into rescue mode. She tried to reach him, knowing he was a strong swimmer. Something pulled her further down under the water. She was in full blown panic and knew she couldn't hold her breath much longer. She could hear screaming but was starting to black out.

Suddenly she felt an arm around her chest and felt she was being pulled towards the surface. When her head was above water, she coughed and gagged, trying to gulp down air.

"I got you, I got you. Hang on." She heard Punk's voice.

Punk swam while holding Evalena up to the edge of the pool. Rocky was still barking and swimming beside them. He lifted Evalena up onto the edge of the pool and helped Rocky climb out as well. Evalena was still coughing and gagging. He climbed out and looked around the pool wondering what the hell had happened. He looked over at Evalena and Rocky who were both covered in blood and down at himself seeing he was covered in blood as well.

"Evalena…." He knelt down beside her.

"Punk! Oh my god…." She wrapped herself around him and he realized she was crying.

"Calm down, you're safe. Rocky is safe. Come on, breathe slowly." He hugged her and rubbed her back.

She cried harder and he thought she was on the verge of hysterical.

"Shhhhh, I got you. It's okay. You need to calm down." Punk tried soothing her.

"I….." she tried but couldn't stop crying.

"Breathe, come on. Slow your breathing." He told her. She had buried her face in his neck and hugging him so tight he couldn't move. "Tell me what happened."

"I….swimming…..pool…..blood….held down." She tried to talk.

"Slow down and calm down. I cannot understand you." Punk rubbed her back.

"I….was swimming." She finally got out. Punk waited patiently for her to continue. "And suddenly the water…it just turned to blood…..and something pulled me under….something tried to drown me."

Punk frowned. "Are you sure you didn't cut yourself and panic?"

Punk looked at the pool and realized that as much blood was in the pool she would've had to bleed to death. Just to be sure he looked over her where he could see checking for cuts.

"No, everything was fine and suddenly….Rocky barked and…the pool filled with blood!" she pulled back and looked him. "Tom….."

"Tom is nowhere around. Probably a dead animal somehow got in the pool or something. Let me check." Punk tried to pull away but Evalena held tight to him.

"Punk, I am scared." She gripped his arms.

"Just calm down. Let me check the pool. I bet a wounded animal panicked and fell in the pool. Maybe an injured deer or something. I am not leaving you; I am just going to check the pool." He assured her.

He managed to pull out of Evalena's grasp and stood up. He walked over and grabbed the pool skimmer and began running it through the water, trying to find what had created such a mess. Evalena watched him and he could see she was shaking. He walked all around the pool with the skimmer trying to find what caused the blood.

"Fuck, I can't find anything." Punk finally gave up.

"Punk….I…" Evalena tried to speak.

Punk tossed down the skimmer and walked over to her. "Can you stand? Are you hurt?"

"I…dunno." She said.

"Come on, I dunno what the fuck is going on but I am damn well gonna find out." He helped her up.

She was still shaking so he kept his arm around her and helped her walk into the back door of the inn. Rocky followed close beside them. He helped her up the stairs and walked her to her room.

"You stay here and shower and clean up. I will be right back." Punk told her.

"Where you going? Please don't leave me!" she gripped his arms.

"I am going to talk to Tom Beauchene and see just what the fuck is going on. I don't care if I have to drain that fucking pool myself. I will be right back. I promise. You lock that door and don't you open it for anyone but me." Punk told her. "I promise I will be back as soon as I can."

Evalena nodded. "Please hurry."

"I will. Clean yourself up. Everything is gonna be okay." Punk told her.

Punk walked out of Evalena's room and didn't move from the hallway until he heard her lock the door. He ran a hand through his wet hair as he headed downstairs. He had to find Tom Beauchene.

He went downstairs to the front desk but didn't see anyone around. He rang the bell several times. Finally Tom walked out of the back.

"Mr. Brooks, what happened to you?" Tom saw Punk was soaked in blood.

"That is what I came to talk about. I don't know what is going on, but the pool is filled with blood and Evalena nearly drowned. She says the pool was fine and then suddenly there was blood everywhere. I searched the pool and I couldn't find anything." Punk said.

"Oh my…are you both okay? Where is she?" Tom asked.

"Never mind that, she is safe. Now what is going on?" Punk asked.

"I don't know. I will go check out the pool at once." Tom said.

"I am coming with you." Punk said, following Tom out of the inn.

They both walked around to the back of the inn and approached the pool that still had blood in the water. However, as they got closer, Punk could see something in the water and he was sure it had not been there just minutes before.

"You see there Mr. Brooks….it is a wild boar." Tom said.

"I searched and searched that pool; it was not there a few minutes ago. And doesn't this seem like an awful excessive amount of blood for one boar?" Punk crossed his arms.

"You probably just missed it before. Wild boars are found around these parts. A poacher probably injured this one and in a panic trying to escape it landed in the pool where it finally died. I am so sorry this has happened. We will close the pool and take care of this at once." Tom said.

"It doesn't make sense. I know that wasn't here even five minutes ago." Punk said.

"Well what else could it be?" Tom asked.

"I don't know. Is there anyone else around this afternoon?" Punk narrowed his eyes.

"Not that I am aware of. You and Miss Cole are still our only guests but we have a few scheduled for next week." Tom said.

"How do you manage to keep this place open and so well kept with so few guests?" Punk asked.

Tom briefly looked annoyed but said. "It is a family tradition; my parents and I work to keep this place going through busy times and slow."

"Have you ever had strange occurrences happen here before?" Punk asked, feeling Tom was hiding something.

"I wouldn't call this a strange occurrence. It was an accident." Tom said.

"Where were you this afternoon? Didn't you hear Evalena screaming or her dog barking? She nearly drown. She would've had I not heard her screaming as I parked my car." Punk said.

"I did not hear anything out of the ordinary." Tom said.

"How could you not hear it? She was screaming!" Punk nearly yelled.

"What are you implying Mr. Brooks?" Tom asked.

"I don't know." Punk sighed.

"You are just upset. I am so sorry this happened. I would like to apologize to Miss Cole as well. Where is she?" Tom asked.

Punk raised an eyebrow. "Don't worry she is fine and in no mood for company."

"Is there anything else I can do for you? I would like to get started cleaning this up." Tom said.

"No, I am going to get cleaned up." Punk said and turned back towards the inn without another word.

He walked into the inn and up the stairs. He didn't know what to think. He knew that boar was not in the pool when he searched with the skimmer. And he thought Tom was too calm. Had he not searched the pool himself, he would've believed that the boar was the cause of the blood but, he KNEW it wasn't there when he looked. It bothered him that he couldn't explain this.

"Could I have really missed it?" Punk asked himself at the top of the stairs.

He shook his head and walked to the door to Evalena's room. He didn't hear anything inside. He knocked quietly.

"Evalena, it's me." He called out.

He heard the door unlock and Evalena opened the door. She was cleaned up and dressed in yoga pants and a tank top.

"You feel any better?" he asked.

"Still shook up but at least I am clean. I need to get Rocky cleaned." She said.

"I don't want to leave you alone. We'll clean him up in my room. I want you to stay with me for a bit." Punk said.

Evalena didn't even protest, she called Rocky to her and they followed Punk across the hall to his room. Punk kicked the door shut and pulled his shirt off and just tossed it in the trash.

"Did you find anything out?" Evalena asked.

"When Tom and I went to check the pool there was a dead wild boar in it." Punk said. "Did you see such a thing today or hear one or…anything?"

"No. Why didn't we see it?" Evalena asked.

"I dunno. Tom thinks it was injured by a hunter or something and trying to escape just ran into the pool and died." Punk sighed. "Can you tell me exactly what happened now that you are calmer?"

Evalena sat down on the edge of his bed. "When I first started swimming, the pool was fine and everything was quiet. Then Rocky started barking and when I turned to see what he was barking at I saw the pool filling with blood. Then I was pulled under the water…like something was holding me under the water. I started to black out when you pulled me out."

Punk ran a hand through his hair. "Is it possible you panicked from the blood and that is what caused you to go under the water?"

"No, I was trying to get out when I was pulled under. Besides, Rocky tried to get to me but I was pulled away from him." She said.

"None of this makes sense." Punk sighed.

"What are you thinking?" she asked.

"I don't know. This is just so bizarre." Punk said.

"Punk…Phil….thank you for pulling me out of the pool. I owe you a huge one." Evalena said.

"I am just glad I could help." Punk gave a small smile. "Come on, let's get Rocky cleaned up then I am gonna shower and get this mess off me."

(Night)

Evalena sat on the small couch in Punk's room with Rocky beside her. She and Punk had just finished watching Raw. The rest of the day had been uneventful but both of them still felt on edge. Evalena had made no effort to go back to her own room and was thankful that Punk hadn't hinted that she should.

"Punk…..I have been thinking. Do you think maybe the Beauchene Inn is haunted?" Evalena asked.

"Is this more nonsense about Tom?" Punk asked.

"No, nothing about Tom. It's just that this is a very old building and New Orleans is such an old city….maybe there is a ghost or ghosts here." She said.

"You believe in ghosts?" Punk asked.

"I believe there are things we cannot explain. And not all ghost encounters are friendly." She said.

"Maybe. I believe in ghosts." Punk said. "Think we should get an Ouija board?"

"No! Hell no! Those things are dangerous!" Evalena insisted.

"Calm down, no Ouija board then. But how are they dangerous?" he asked.

"You won't get mad if I tell a story from a missionary will you?" she asked.

"No, I am curious what you have heard." Punk said seriously.

"Okay, when I was in high school. A missionary talked to my Sunday school class that had been working somewhere in South America when he was called to a town to do an exorcism or blessing on a house where Satanist priest or shaman or whatever died. I guess locals were afraid and superstitious." She explained. "So he went and took a team of people from his missionary group with him."

"What happened?"

"He told us when they got to the Satanist's house, they started clearing it out. Taking all the memorabilia and trinkets of devil worship and burning it in a big bonfire. Apparently, they also found a collection of Ouija boards….and when they threw those Ouija boards in the fire…he said they could hear screams coming out of that fire and could see unearthly shapes rise up in the flames." She said.

"The fire killed the ghosts?" Punk asked.

"The missionary said he believed the demons in the boards were in the fire…what they heard screaming and raising up." Evalena said.

"Did they do an exorcism on the house?" Punk asked.

Evalena was surprised he asked. He usually dismissed stories like this.

"They did. And he said when they did…when they were on the ground floor of the house praying and casting demons out of the house….he said there was a terrible ruckus in the attic. So they hurried up to the attic and found a hidden room used as an altar or something. And on the floor was a mounted goat head…and they said around that goat head was burn marks that were still smoldering and hot to the touch." She said.

"That is fucked up. I am not saying the missionary was lying but….damn I don't know what to think." Punk said.

"I have heard a lot of people say that when playing with Ouija boards weird things have happened. I am not messing with one." She insisted.

Punk looked at her and gave a small smile. "I may not believe the same things as you, but damn if you don't believe with your whole heart."

She chuckled. "I should probably go and let you get some sleep."

Punk frowned. "Will you be okay?"

"I dunno, but I don't want to keep you up all night. Besides, maybe it was just a boar jumped in the pool." She said. Punk could tell she was scared.

"Listen, it is late. We're both adults right. You can stay here. That way you won't be scared and alone because even though you haven't said much I know you think this has something to do with Tom. And I am even starting to think the guy is weird." Punk said.

"You think he has like….put a curse on me or something?" she asked.

"No…but he was acting strange today and I….I dunno maybe he is trying to scare you or something. Some people get their kicks from doing strange things." Punk said.

"Why would a guy put a dead boar in his own pool? That just created a big mess he has to clean."

"Who knows, but something about him was strange. Maybe the twerp thought you would get scared and he could comfort you or something. Maybe he has a girl covered in blood fetish. You're a criminal psychologist I am sure you have known some criminals with strange kinks." Punk shrugged. "You wanna stay here tonight and tomorrow we can decide what to do? I am thinking we should snoop around the inn; see what else Tom may be up to."

"I appreciate the offer but…..I…well we….."

"Evalena, I am not gonna try seducing you." Punk chuckled.

"I wasn't thinking that, it's just…I didn't want you to think that I…"

"I know you well enough to know you don't fall into bed with all kinds of men. You are not that kind of woman." Punk said.

"Okay, just didn't want to give you the wrong idea about me." She smiled. "I would rather not be alone, so thank you."

"No problem. Maybe if Tom does have a thing for you, he'll think you and I hooked up and leave you alone." Punk smirked.

Evalena chuckled. "Do you snore?"

"Not unless I have a cold." Punk said. "You want me to sleep on top the covers…I don't want you to feel uncomfortable."

"No, like you said. We're both adults. Sleep doesn't mean sex." She said. "Let me brush my teeth and we can turn in for the night. My toothbrush is in my room."

"I have a few extra ones, brand new. I always carry extra so if I lose one, I am not running out at midnight to buy one." He chuckled and dug through his nightstand until he found one for her.

"Thanks." She said.

"Sure thing." He stood up and stretched.

"Punk….you are really a great guy. You have gone out of your way to be a good friend this past week." She stood up on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. "Thank you."

He smiled and watched her walk into the bathroom.

**Author's Note- **_The story of the Ouija boards and exorcism was told to me by a Sunday School teacher years ago and helped inspire part of this story. Again, this is a work of fiction and in no way meant to influence anyone's beliefs. Special thanks to my awesome constant reviewer ilynany. _


	10. More Mystery on the Bayou

(Tuesday)

_Punk was walking up the front steps of a church he didn't recognize. He didn't know why he was there. He looked down at himself and saw he was dressed in a black suit. He saw others entering the church also dressed in black and realized he was at a funeral…but he couldn't remember anyone he knew dying recently. _

_ He walked in the church and saw several people milling around but he didn't recognize any of them. He walked into the sanctuary and saw several people gathered around the casket, he was unable to see who had passed away. Flowers lined the front of the church._

_ "Excuse me?" he saw a man sitting in a pew. _

_ "Such a tragedy. None of this expected this." He said. _

_ "I'm sorry for your loss." Punk said. _

_ "Thank you. Things will never be the same." The man said. _

_ Punk realized the gentleman was too upset to talk. He walked further into the church and saw several police officers sitting in two pews. He walked to the front, nearing the casket. He looked over to the side and saw a large framed picture of Evalena with Rocky. He hurried over and took a closer look, sure he was seeing things. _

_ He stood in front of the picture and clearly saw Evalena kneeling down with Rocky. He saw several smaller pictures on a table next to the large picture. He looked at them….Evalena in her majorette uniform and baton as part of the Pride of Southland band, Evalena at her college graduation standing with a man in a gray suit, Evalena at a formal event wearing a green dress. _

_ Dread and panic filled him and he rushed over to the coffin to see for himself. He pushed several people out of the way and looked down…..and there was Evalena. She was dressed in jeans and a Tennessee Volunteers jersey with a number 10 on it. She looked like she was sleeping and in her hands lying on her waist. He felt himself starting to shake. He felt like he was gonna vomit. _

_ "She looks very natural doesn't she?" a man appeared beside him. _

_ "She…oh my god…" Punk reached over to take her hand._

_ "Easy, easy son…..were you a friend of Sissy's?" he asked. _

_ "Sissy?" Punk asked._

_ "I nicknamed her that when she was a baby. She was named after my grandmother. I don't know what I am gonna do without her." He said. _

_ "You're her father?" Punk asked. _

_ "Yes. I am Glen. How did you know her?" he asked._

_ "Oh…I'm Phil. I was a friend of hers." Punk answered. "I am so sorry for your loss. She was a wonderful woman."_

_ "Thank you. She would appreciate you being here." Glen said. "This is so sudden."_

_ Punk looked back down at Evalena. "Where is Rocky?"_

_ "I have him. You know that dog stayed right with her after she died. When I found her, he was lying right next to her and never moved until the funeral home arrived. He must've been with her for hours before I got there." Glen said. _

_ Punk squeezed her hand and then let go. He turned around and saw Tom standing in the back of the church. Punk couldn't understand why he would be there. _

_ "You know it's ironic." Glen said suddenly startling Punk._

_ "What is?" Punk asked._

_ "My baby watched wrestling with me for 30 years. And I just read today in the paper that one of the wrestlers died the same day as she did." Glen said. "I like to think she got to walk in the gates of heaven with him."_

_ "Wrestler? Which one?" Punk asked. _

_ "I don't remember his real name…his professional name was CM Punk." Glen answered. _

Punk sat straight up in bed. He realized he was sweating. He looked around and saw Evalena asleep beside him, the clock beside his bed read 3AM. He got out of bed and walked into the bathroom. He splashed some cool water on his face and took a calming breath. He didn't know what to think. Was it a nightmare and nothing else?

"Punk? You okay?" he heard Evalena ask.

"Yeah, I just had a strange dream." He called back.

"A nightmare?" she asked.

"Something like that." He walked back in the bedroom.

"You wanna talk about it?" she sat up.

"How did you get your name?" Punk sat down on the bed.

"What? What does that have to do with anything?" Evalena asked.

"I had a dream…you were in it and….just tell me." He said.

"I was named after my great-grandmother. My father's grandmother's name was Evalena." She said. Punk paled. "Punk, what is wrong?"

"What is your father's name?" Punk asked.

"Huh? Punk what is going on?"

Punk gripped her shoulders. "Is your father's name Glen?"

"Yeah, how did you know?" Evalena asked.

"I dreamed it. I dreamed you were named after your father's grandmother, your dad's name was Glen and he nicknamed you Sissy." Punk said.

"Did I tell you about my nickname?"

"I don't think so." Punk ran a hand through his hair. "What the fuck is going on?"

"Tell me what you dreamed." Evalena took his hand in both of hers, trying to calm him down.

"I was at a funeral, I didn't know for who until I got to the front of the church. There was a large picture of you and small framed ones too. One of you in college, your college graduation standing with your dad…and some formal event where you were wearing a green dress." He said.

"The Mayor's Ball." Evalena said. "I wore green to the Mayor's Ball in the spring."

"How did I dream this stuff? I don't know any of this. You never told me." Punk asked.

"What else did you dream?"

"It was your funeral. I talked to your dad….and then I saw Tom. And just as I saw Tom your dad said that….I had died too." Punk said.

"Punk…I am scared." Evalena said.

"I dunno what to think. There is no way I could've known that stuff to dream about it. And damn just the sight of you lying in that coffin in your number 10 jersey." Punk said.

"A Tennessee jersey with number 10?" Evalena asked.

"Yeah…why?"

"Punk…..I own that jersey. When I was in college Erik Ainge was our quarterback…he was number 10." Evalena said.

"Fuck…I don't like this." Punk said.

"But….I had all the nightmares and weird stuff happening to me. Why is this happening to you now?" Evalena asked.

"I dunno. But I am starting to think maybe there really is something unexplainable around here." Punk said.

"What do you think we should do?" Evalena asked.

"I am not sure. Are you sure you never told me any of that stuff?" Punk asked.

"I haven't thought of the Mayor's Ball since May." Evalena said.

"You stay with me. I don't want you alone. And tomorrow we will figure out what to do. I don't wanna over react and I definitely want to know what the fuck is going on." Punk said.

Evalena nodded. "You gonna be okay to sleep?"

"Are you?"

"I dunno…but we should probably try to rest." She said.

"Yeah…..you're right." He pulled the sheet up.

"Punk…are you scared?" she asked as she lay back down.

"Not sure….definitely uneasy and wanting answers." He said.

She looked over at him. "We'll figure it out. You know me and a mystery…I have to know."

(Morning)

Punk started drifting awake feeling something pressed against him. He opened one eye and saw Evalena had rolled against him in her sleep, her arm resting on his chest. He didn't want to disturb her, but also didn't want her to wake up and find him with morning wood. Hoping she was a sound sleeper, he gently moved her arm off his chest. She sighed softly and snuggled tighter against him, making him moan slightly. He slowly slid away from her and breathed a sigh of relief when she didn't wake up.

Punk quietly walked to the bathroom and shut the door. He looked in the mirror and saw he looked tired. He knew he needed to shower and get ready for the day. He wasn't sure what was going on, but he wanted answers. Maybe Evalena's curiosity was wearing off on him.

Punk quickly took a shower. He still couldn't shake feeling uneasy about his dream last night. There was no way he could've known the stuff in his dream. And he felt sick every time he thought of Evalena in that coffin.

He dried himself off, pulling on a pair of jeans. He opened the door and saw Evalena was still asleep. He walked over to the bed and sat on the edge.

"Evalena…I think you should wake up." He gently shook her shoulder.

Evalena mumbled and curled further into her pillow.

"Come on Miss Rocky Top…time to get up." Punk chuckled.

"Hmmmmpppphh." She groaned and rolled away from him.

He chuckled and leaned down next to her. "Miss Cole there is a Mr. Manning here to see you."

"It better be Peyton because Eli is a crybaby." Evalena said.

Punk stretched out, propping his head on his hand and staring at her back.

"I thought you would jump out of bed running to see Peyton." Punk chuckled.

"Nah, he is married. But if she ever dumps him, I am on a plane to Denver!" Evalena chuckled.

"You want breakfast? We could go somewhere." Punk said.

"Nothing too heavy." Evalena rolled over onto her back. "What do you think we should do to find out what Tom is up to?"

"I was thinking maybe we should head back to the crossroads, see what we can find. Maybe he has thrown other things away." Punk said.

"I thought maybe we should check the third floor. I hear a lot of movement up there at odd times." She said.

"That is a good idea." He agreed.

She looked at him with wide eyes. "Do you think we will be safe?"

He reached over and touched her shoulder. "I promise, I won't let anything hurt you."

She nodded. "I trust you."

Punk moved his fingers up to trace her cheekbone and down her jaw. Evalena nuzzled into his hand, moving her hand up to hold his wrist. Punk leaned over and gently pressed his lips against hers. He didn't apply any pressure, not wanting to push her, just moved his lips over hers. She responded, kissing him back. He could feel her gently tracing circles on his forearm.

Rocky growled and then barked causing Evalena and Punk to pull apart. They looked over and saw Rocky growling at barking at the door. Then there was a knock at the door.

"Housekeeping." Martha Beauchene called out.

"We'll be out in 10 minutes." Evalena called. She turned to Punk. "We better get moving."

Punk nodded as she climbed out of bed.

(10:30AM)

Punk and Evalena had managed to sneak away from the inn, checking to be sure that none of the Beauchene's saw them leaving. Evalena had brought Rocky with them. She was afraid what might happen to him if left alone at the inn.

"Even if we find stuff here, we won't know what it is." Punk said.

"We can always take it to one of the voodoo shops in town and ask if they know what it is. They figured out what that money thing was." She said.

"That is a good idea." Punk said. "You really are good at this investigating thing."

Evalena smiled at him as they came upon the crossroads. They didn't see anything lying in the open.

"Guess we should try looking in some of the weeds." Evalena said.

"Find some long sticks to help us look through the weeds." Punk said looking for some long branches. "Who knows what snakes and creatures are hiding in these weeds."

Punk handed Evalena a large branch and they both began looking through the weeds to see if they could find anything.

"I am not finding anything." Punk said after a few minutes.

"Me either." Evalena said. "Then again, if Tom suspects that we think he is up to something he may have returned and collected anything left behind."

"If he is really into all this mumbo jumbo, do you think he could be hurting people…like murder?" Punk asked.

Evalena looked at him. "Well…..I have encountered criminals that were into black magic and such…most of them sacrificed animals. Devil worshippers too. Dogs, cats, chickens, goats."

"Any that ever killed people?" Punk asked. "Didn't you once mention something about a case in Mexico?"

"Yes, I didn't actually work on that case as it happened in the late1980s, but I have studied it." Evalena said.

"So what happened?" Punk asked.

"Adolfo Constanzo was a drug dealing mixed up with some kind of religion I can't remember the name of…but it was dark, sacrifices and such. He had a cult following and to protect his drug shipments he would offer sacrifices, often human. He got away with it for at least two years…maybe longer. But in 1989, he made the mistake of kidnapping and murdering an American college student on spring break in Mexico…Mark Kilroy was his name...anyway, when US authorities started putting big pressure on Mexican authorities to find Kilroy….Constanzo's activities were discovered and brought to light. At least 14 other people had been sacrificed….maybe as many as 25." She said.

"That is fucked up." Punk said.

"But I think looking here is a lost cause. We should try getting to the third floor of the inn. I wanna know what is up there." Evalena said.

"We need to be sure Tom doesn't find out." Punk said.

"One of us should be a lookout or keep him distracted." She said.

"Yeah, let's head back to the inn." Punk said.

They started back towards the inn, following the path they came on. Rocky walked close to them.

"Evalena, would you like to go out tonight?" Punk asked.

"For dinner?"

"Or a movie? Or dancing? Or whatever you like to do on dates." Punk said.

"A date?" she looked at him.

"Yeah, I mean as long as we don't find a dead body or something…I thought it would be nice to go out tonight." Punk smiled.

"I dunno….I mean…Punk I think you are a great guy, but…me? You are a celebrity around all kinds of ladies….you could have any one you wanted." She said.

Punk stopped walking and grabbed Evalena's hand. "Don't be intimidated by that. You shouldn't be. I think you're great."

"I thought you thought I was a loon." She chuckled.

"No, I admit for a while I didn't know what to think of you, but now that….I have seen this weird shit myself…..I do think something is weird going on and I understand why you were upset." Punk said.

Evalena gave a small smile.

"I think you're great. You have been amazing to hang out with since I got here." Punk said.

"I would love to go out tonight." She smiled.

Punk smiled. "So if everything turns out okay, maybe we can head out around 6pm?" Punk asked.

"Sounds good." She kissed his cheek. "But first we're getting into that third floor if I have to get you to kick down a door."

They made their way back to the inn, seeing no one as they made their way across the back yard. They saw that the pool had been drained.

"They must be getting the pool cleaned up." Evalena whispered.

"Let's hurry before someone comes around." Punk said.

They hurried inside the inn and hurried up to the second floor.

"You go on up to the third floor and see what you can find. I'll stay here and keep a look out for Tom." Punk whispered.

"But…."

"You go; if Tom comes along I can keep him distracted or at least knock him out." Punk said.

"Keep Rocky with you. If Tom comes around his barking will let me know I need to get out of there." Evalena said.

"Good idea, just hurry." Punk said.

Evalena quietly crept up the stairs. She didn't see anyone. She noticed the third floor looked like the other two floors of rooms. She noticed one door marked 'Supply closet'. She wondered why the second floor didn't have a supply closet. She tried the knob and found it locked.

She hurried back down the stairs.

"What did you find?" Punk asked.

"I wanna get in their supply closet…seems out of place but it is locked." Evalena said.

"If I break through the lock they will know we were in there." Punk said.

"We need to get in that room." Evalena said.

"I can pick a lock if I have tools." Punk said.

"Wait a second." Evalena hurried to her room and returned in a few minutes. "Here, I never go anywhere without my multi-tool. I keep it in my purse."

"You're really something." Punk smiled.

"Then come on. Rocky…Stay!" Evalena commanded and Rocky sat down. "He'll alert us."

Punk and Evalena hurried up the stairs leaving Rocky to stand guard. She pointed the supply closet out to Punk. Punk knelt down and started working on the lock. Evalena kept her ear out for Rocky or any noise.

"Got it." Punk whispered and opened the door.

Punk and Evalena stepped inside and were stunned.

"What is this?" Punk whispered.

"I dunno. Looks like an altar or something. But why have one here and in the woods too?" she whispered.

There was a large table in the middle of the room with a mounted alligator head in the middle. There were multiple candles around the room of vary colors. There were several daggers lying on the table. There was a separate table with containers of herbs, oils, powders and incense. There were several dolls lying around the room as well.

"Okay, the Beauchene's are definitely up to something. Problem is I dunno what." Punk looked around.

Evalena pulled out her cell phone. "I am taking pictures of this. Someone will be able to tell us what some of this stuff is."

Evalena clicked off a few pictures, stopping when she noticed a wall of satanic pictures and symbols. Rocky began barking. Punk and Evalena hurried out of the room and locked the door back behind them. They hurried down the stairs and saw Rocky barking at Tom Beauchene.

"Rocky! There you are!" Evalena started. "We have been looking everywhere for you."

"Is there a problem?" Tom raised his eyebrows at them.

"Rocky got away from us and we were looking for him." Punk played along with her cover story.

"I am glad you found him." Tom said. "And by the way, we are having the pool cleaned. It should be open by the end of the week."

"That is good to know. Come on Evalena." Punk put his arm around Evalena, clearly glaring at Tom.

They walked down the hall and into Punk's room. Punk locked the door.

"That was smart thinking with that cover story." Punk said.

"Do you think we should stay at another place? Like go to a different hotel or Bed and breakfast or something?" Evalena asked.

"I dunno. I think we are okay for now. But I want to find out what that shit upstairs is." Punk said.

"Okay….but one more strange occurrence and I am out of here." Evalena said.

"Well forget about that for now. We have a date tonight." Punk smiled. "What would you like to do?"

"Something fun. I don't care what. You can plan it." She smiled.

_**Author's Note- **__Thank you to those who favorite this story and are following it! You rock! Love the reviews too! _


	11. First Date on the Bayou

(Tuesday Night)

Punk was in his room getting ready to take Evalena out on their date. She had insisted on getting ready in her own room and Punk finally agreed but was leaving his door open a bit to listen for trouble and keep a look out for Tom. He heard his cell phone ringing and checked the caller ID seeing John was calling him.

"Hello?" Punk answered.

"How's it going?" John asked.

"Long story." Punk said.

"Everything okay?" John asked.

"I guess so. Not sure." Punk said.

"Phil…what is going on?" John asked.

"Just some weird shit going on I can't explain, but everyone is safe." Punk said.

"Punk..."

"Let it go John." Punk sighed.

"Okay, so what are you up to?" John asked.

"I am getting ready to go out with Evalena." Punk said.

"A date?" John asked.

"As a matter of fact yes." Punk said.

"I knew you had a thing for her." John said. "Orton owes me money."

"It's just one date." Punk rolled his eyes. "Besides, I thought you had a thing for her. You kept pointing out her good qualities."

"I was pointing them out for you. I pointed out everything I know you like in a woman." John said. "So where are you taking her?"

"I am surprising her and taking her on a dinner cruise on the Natchez…it's a steamboat on the Mississippi River with Dinner Jazz Cruises." Punk said.

"Damn…that is impressive and nice for a first date. No wonder all the divas say you are so romantic. Of course it is because you have dated all of them except Mae Young." John snickered.

"Oh fuck you, I have not." Punk said.

"I still say when Mae makes one of her appearances, she should kiss you. Remind me to mention that to the creative team." John snickered.

"Real funny Cena." Punk said.

"But I am slightly surprised. You don't usually date people outside of wrestling." John said.

"I know but I really like her. And with her job she travels a lot and seems to be able to write anywhere so if this takes off, we might have a little more flexibility." Punk said.

"I smell romance." Cena snickered.

"For fuck's sake."

"Seriously, I think Evalena is awesome. Have a great time tonight." John said.

"Thanks dad, gonna give me the birds and bees speech too?"

"Well, when and a man and woman love each other…." John laughed.

"Goodbye Cena, I have a lovely lady waiting on me." Punk said and shut off his phone.

Punk checked his appearance one last time, looking over his khakis and dress shirt. He grabbed his wallet and carefully locked his door. He knocked on Evalena's door.

Evalena opened the door wearing a short green dress with small pink flowers on it and high heel sandals. Her hair curled and worn down.

"You look really nice." Punk told her.

"Thank you. So do you." Evalena smiled.

"Ready to go? We have to be there before 7pm." Punk told her.

"Yes, but where are we going?" she asked, locking her door.

"It's a surprise, you wanted to be surprised." He smiled at her.

She nodded and followed him down the stairs. They saw no one as they walked out of the inn and over to Punk's rental car. He opened the door for her and helped her into the car. He got in and started driving them towards town.

"You looking forward to tonight?" Punk asked.

"Yeah, I am curious to what you have planned." She smiled.

Punk drove them to Toulouse Street Wharf and parked the car. Evalena looked around, seeing the Mississippi River. Punk opened the door and let her out.

"Punk, where exactly are we going?" Evalena asked.

"I thought an evening cruise on the river would be a great way to spend the evening." He smiled.

"I love it." She smiled.

They headed toward the boat ramp. Evalena reached over and grabbed Punk's hand. He looked up at her.

"Is this okay? I'm sorry. Is it too forward?" Evalena started to blush.

Punk chuckled. "It is fine, just relax."

She nodded. They walked up the boat ramp. Evalena looked along the side of the steamboat and saw 'Natchez' on the side of the ship. Punk gave his name as he had made reservations earlier in the day.

"What made you think of a dinner cruise?" Evalena asked as they walked along the deck of the ship.

"I thought it would be romantic. And it is dinner and dancing without being cliché." Punk said. "I know you don't like cliché things."

"You remembered?" she looked at him.

"I remember everything you have told me." Punk said.

Evalena smiled and blushed.

"You're cute when you blush." Punk said.

"Thanks." She smiled.

"Come on, we should be seated for dinner." Punk said.

They made their way to the dining room. There were several people milling around and already seated at tables.

"Can we sit by the windows? I'd like to see the city." She asked.

"Sure, anything you want." Punk said.

They chose a table by the window and Punk pulled her chair out for her, and then took a seat across from her.

"This is really lovely." She said. "The dining room is beautiful."

"I am glad you are enjoying it." He said. "I hear the band is Grammy nominated."

"Do you like dancing?" she asked.

"Yeah, maybe after dinner we can check out the band." He said.

"I would like that." She smiled.

"So what type of movies do you like? Let me guess those crime thrillers?" he asked.

"Why?"

"I thought maybe we would go see one…well if tonight goes well. But I think it will. It's kinda weird…this doesn't seem like a first date. Must be because we have spent so much time together already." He said.

"Yeah, but I was afraid to say so. Thought it would sound….like a woman thing to say." She chuckled.

"So what kind of movies do you like?"

"I like a variety." She said.

(Later)

They had finished dinner and were walking around the deck of the ship enjoying the view. A few fans had asked Punk for autographs and pictures; he had been relieved when Evalena just smiled and didn't seem put off.

"What's it like having people know you everywhere you go?" Evalena asked him.

"It can get old at times, especially fans that lose their minds when they meet me or corner me in strange places. But I love the fans." Punk said.

"I am enjoying this. I love the river…and that meal was amazing. This was a wonderful idea. Thank you." She kissed his cheek.

"I am glad you are enjoying it. It is nice." Punk said.

"The skyline is beautiful. But I guess being from Chicago you are used to it." She said.

"Doesn't mean I don't appreciate it. It is pretty, especially with good company." He said and she blushed a little. "Damn that is adorable."

"You wanna check out that band now?" she asked.

"You gonna step on my toes?" he joked.

"I'll try not to." She giggled.

Punk took her hand and they made their way inside where the Dukes of Dixieland were playing. Several couples were already up dancing while others were seated and listening to the music.

"They are pretty good." Punk said.

"Yeah." She agreed.

"Come on, let's dance." Punk said, leading her towards the dance floor.

They made their way to the dance floor and found a spot where they had space and fans hopefully wouldn't recognize Punk. Punk wrapped his arms around her waist and she put her arms around his shoulders.

"This must be different from what you usually listen to." She said.

"It's not so bad." He shrugged.

"Well I don't wanna stress your knee. If it starts hurting, you tell me." She said.

"It feels fine…but it's cool that you're looking out for me." He smiled.

(Later)

Punk pulled his rental car in front of the Beauchene Inn seeing that the place was dark and he assumed everyone was in bed for the evening. Punk and Evalena had a wonderful evening on the Natchez and had even taken pictures of their date on their cell phones. Punk climbed out of the car and walked around the rental and opened the door to let Evalena out.

"You want me to build us a fire in the fire pit?" Punk asked, hating to see the evening end.

"I really need to get Rocky and take him out. He probably needs to use the restroom…he's been inside a while with us out for the evening." She said.

"Mind if I join you while you take him for a walk?" Punk asked.

"I would really like that." She smiled.

They quietly made their way into the inn and up the stairs to Evalena's room. She opened the door and called Rocky to her. She put her purse inside the room, then took Rocky and followed Punk down the stairs.

"You wanna walk around the lake?" he asked.

"Is it safe?" she asked.

"I think so. We'll take a path that is away from the crossroads. We won't be long, just a short walk." Punk said.

"Sounds nice, a moonlit walk beside Lake Pontchartrain." She smiled.

Punk took her hand and they walked through the backyard of the inn and started down one of the paths towards the lake.

"I had a really wonderful time tonight." She said. "Thank you."

"I had a great time too." He squeezed her hand.

"Does this mean you still wanna take me to the movies tomorrow?" she asked.

"Of course I do. Why wouldn't I?" he asked.

"I dunno. I am still wondering what you see in me. I mean, you are around some of the prettiest women alive in your line of work." She said.

"Will you stop being so hard on yourself? You are great. So I am around a lot of girls? Some of them have the personality of a brick. Some of them are arrogant and obnoxious. And some of them have significant others." He said making her smile. "I don't just ask a girl out based on looks, although you have that too. I go out with someone because I want to."

They came to the lake and Rocky walked ahead of them as they started walking the shoreline.

"So what is with the comic books?" she asked. "I noticed you have a lot of them in your room."

"Just something I enjoy. And I have a lot of time to read while traveling…you know on airplanes and such." He said.

"Is that why Cena is just dying for a copy of my book?" she giggled.

"Oh John likes to read. And when John makes a friend he supports them in what they do like a million percent. He really is as nice and wholesome as he is on TV." Punk said.

"So what movie are you taking me to see?" she asked.

"I figured I would let you choose." He said.

"Is this some weird test? Because I failed this one before." She said.

"How could you fail at going to the movies?" Punk asked as they followed Rocky along the shore.

"A few years back, I had been dating this guy for about two weeks, everything going well. We had plans to go see a movie and he let me choose the movie, but he kept hinting that he wanted to see 'The Watchmen'. But I wanted to see the remake of 'My Bloody Valentine' so I chose that. Apparently it was a weird test and I failed because he broke things off soon after that." She explained.

"What a fucking jerk. I don't think you missed much when he split." Punk said. "Although I understand not wanting to date a girl that would choose a horror movie remake over 'The Watchmen'."

"What?"

"Just kidding, kidding." Punk chuckled and wrapped an arm around her.

"That is not funny." She giggled.

"I was kidding but damn that guy was an ass." Punk said.

Evalena smiled. "Where is Rocky?" she noticed he wasn't with them. "Rocky!"

"Did he jump in the lake?" Punk asked.

"Probably, he loves to swim. Rocky!" she called.

Suddenly they heard growling. They looked around but didn't see Rocky anywhere.

"What is growling? That doesn't sound like Rocky." Evalena said.

A large dog, German Shepherd looking, stepped out of the bushes growling with teeth bared.

"Where did he come from?" Punk asked and pushed Evalena behind him.

"I dunno. Let's just find Rocky and get out of here." She said.

"Stay behind me." Punk told her.

They started to walk slowly backwards, Evalena was holding tight to Punk's waist. Suddenly the stray dog launched at them and grabbed Punk's leg.

"Fuck!" he yelled and tried kicking the dog off him.

"Punk!" Evalena yelled looking for a weapon.

She grabbed a large rock and hit the dog with it. The dog let go of Punk and turned on her. She started to back away and Punk kicked hard at the dog, but it seemed to have no effect.

"What the fuck is with this dog?" Punk yelled as he kicked it again.

Evalena kicked off her high heels, ready to run if she needed to. The dog snarled and started to launch at Evalena but was attacked by Rocky.

"Rocky! Baby!" Evalena yelled seeing the dogs fighting.

"Evalena, run! Run!" Punk yelled.

Evalena took off running, not sure where she was going. She ran into the woods, trying to stay on her feet.

"Punk! Where are you?" she yelled.

She turned around still not seeing Punk. She heard Rocky scream out in pain. She turned around and started running back to him. As she ran she saw Punk running towards her.

"Where is Rocky?" she screamed.

"That dog is coming, run the other way!" Punk yelled.

"I won't leave him!" she screamed.

"You have to!" Punk grabbed her wrist and pulled her with him.

They both ran far into the woods, having no idea where they were going but could hear the dog barking and growling behind them.

"Punk, where are we?" she asked.

"Just keep moving!" he yelled and pulled her with him.

They ran farther and saw lights ahead of them. As they got closer they saw they were at the satanic altar they had found while 4wheeling. They could smell something strange in the air.

"I don't see anyone." Punk said.

"Where is the dog?" she turned to looked.

"Maybe it stopped chasing us." Punk slowed down.

"I have to help Rocky, he is hurt!" Evalena started to turn back towards the lake.

She had only taken a few steps when she and Punk both saw glowing red eyes in the darkness and heard the growling again.

"Oh hell, that dog….he must be possessed." Evalena realized.

"No time to think." He pulled Evalena and started running again. "Fuck, what do we do?"

"We have to get to the cemetery!" she yelled.

"What?"

"The cemetery by the Methodist church, it should be up ahead. We have to get to the cemetery. Especially you, you're an atheist!" she yelled.

"What the fuck are you babbling about?" he yelled.

"Just come on!" Evalena yelled and kept running.

They kept running, but could hear the dog close behind them. Evalena's feet were hurting as they were bare but she didn't slow down. Finally they came out of the woods and could see the church ahead of them.

"The cemetery, it is off to the side. We have to get in there." Evalena yelled.

"What the fuck?" Punk yelled.

"Come on!" Evalena insisted and pulled him towards the cemetery.

The dog was right behind them. They reached the graveyard that was surrounded by a chain link fence. The gates were locked.

"We have to climb over. We have to get in there!" she yelled.

"Why?"

"Just do it!" she yelled and started climbing the fence.

Seeing no other option Punk began climbing too, the dog was barking and had nearly caught up with them. Evalena reached the ground inside the fence and ran to hide behind a tombstone. Punk hit the ground and turned to look at the dog.

"It's a low fence, he'll jump it!" Punk yelled.

"No…no he won't!" Evalena said and pulled Punk down beside her.

They watched as the dog barked and growled while pacing the outside of the fence. Its eyes glowed red at them, making both of them gasp.

"I am fucking dreaming. I am gonna wake up and be back in Chicago!" Punk said.

Before Evalena could answer gunshots rang out and the dog yelped. Another gunshot followed and the dog fell dead.

"What the hell?" Punk asked.

"Are you kids okay?" a man came out of the darkness. He was wearing a robe and carrying a shotgun.

"Who are you?" Punk jumped in front of Evalena, ready to fight if need be.

"Calm down, its okay. I am Steve Brown. I am the pastor at this church here. I live in the parsonage." He pointed to a small house beside the church. "I heard screaming and loud barking. So I grabbed my gun to see what was going on."

"Is the dog dead?" Evalena stood up.

"I don't think it can be killed." Punk said.

Steve walked over and checked the dog. "It's dead."

"The demon must've left him." Evalena whispered.

"Are you kids hurt? Do you need an ambulance?" Steve asked. "Let me help you out of there."

Steve pulled out some keys and unlocked the gate. Punk wrapped an arm around Evalena and helped her walk out of the cemetery.

"Thank you. I don't know what we would've done if you hadn't come along." Evalena said.

"You're bleeding." Steve said to Punk.

Punk looked down and saw his khakis torn and blood on his leg.

"The dog…..he bit me….." Punk said.

"He may be rabid. You kids come on, we'll call animal control or something so the dog can be tested, it is already dead. You will need checked out." Steve said.

"Rocky…he is back at the lake. I have to find him!" Evalena yelled.

"Who?" Steve was confused.

"Her dog." Punk said as he tried to hold onto Evalena. "You can't go down there."

"I am not leaving him there. He is hurt. He needs me." She screamed.

"What is going on?" two teenage boys and a woman appeared.

"Who are you?" Punk asked.

"This is my family." Steve said. "Boys, get some flashlights and take the 4wheeler down to the lake, see if you can find her dog. Joann, call animal control and tell them we need to have a dead dog tested for rabies, someone was attacked. Then bring some towels or something to help the kids clean up."

"Thank you." Punk said.

Evalena was shaking. Punk pulled her into his arms and tried to calm her down.

"Punk….."

"It's okay. We're safe now." He held her.

Punk wasn't sure how much time passed as he stood there holding Evalena. Neither of them spoke, not sure what to say. Both kinda in shock.

"I brought you some towels." Joann appeared beside them. "And I found some extra shoes that might fit you."

"Thank you. That is very nice of you." Evalena lifted her head off Punk's chest.

Punk took a towel and started wiping his leg. He saw it was just a scratch but knew it was enough he would need shots should the dog be rabid. Evalena wiped her feet as best she could and slipped on the flip-flops Joann had brought for her.

They heard the boys returning on a 4wheeler and Evalena ran off to meet them before Punk could even blink.

"Rocky? Did you find Rocky?" she yelled.

The boys stopped their 4wheeler and shined flashlights on Rocky that one of the boys was holding.

"He is hurt really bad." The teenager said.

Evalena saw Rocky had several deep gashes that were bleeding. He was whimpering in pain.

"Oh my god, no. No, not my baby!" she started crying.

"We'll get him to a vet. Is there a 24 hour animal clinic anywhere in New Orleans?" Punk asked.

"Dr. Mike's Animal House, on Rampant Street. I will call and let him know you are coming." Joann said.

"We need a lift to our hotel. I can drive them from there." Punk said. "We're staying at the Beauchene Inn."

"I'll take you both there. And I will have animal control call Dr. Mike about the dead dog; you might need to go to the ER." Steve said.

"Thank you. Thank you so much!" Punk said. "Come on Evalena, I will carry Rocky. We're getting him to a vet."

"Punk I can't lose him." She said.

"You're not gonna." He said, hoping he could keep that promise.

Punk carefully took Rocky from the teenager, noticing the dog didn't put up much of a fuss. He didn't care that he was getting the dog's blood all over him; he knew that if something happened to this dog Evalena would be devastated. He saw she was crying and looked panicked.

"Baby, I promise we are getting Rocky some help and then we are getting the fuck away from the Beauchene's." Punk kissed her forehead.

Evalena was so upset she didn't even notice the term of endearment. She took the towel Joann gave her and wrapped it around Rocky. Evalena and Punk hurried and climbed in the back of Steve's car. Steve drove them down the road to the Beauchene Inn.

When they arrived Evalena hurried out of the car and helped Punk get out with Rocky.

"Thank you for everything Pastor." Evalena said.

"Yeah man, you saved our lives." Punk said.

"You guys take care. I will make sure you are called about the dead dog." Steve said.

Punk carefully laid Rocky in the backseat then hopped in the driver's seat of his rental. Evalena had already gotten in. She was still crying and he could tell she was scared. He pulled out from the inn and headed to town.

"You hang in there." He reached for her hand.

"I'm scared." She said.

"How did you know that other dog wouldn't come into the cemetery? I mean you were right…but how did you know?" Punk asked.

"It was possessed. A cemetery is hallowed ground...I knew he couldn't enter there." She said.

"That was smart. Good thinking. You probably saved us." Punk squeezed her hand.

"Rocky did too. He attacked that animal to defend us." She said.

Punk drove as fast as he legally could to the animal clinic he had been told about. As he pulled in he could see lights on inside the clinic. Punk hurried and got Rocky from the backseat and carried him into the clinic with Evalena opening doors to help him.

"We need some help here." Punk yelled.

"I received a call to expect you. I am Dr. Mike." The vet walked out from the back.

"My dog…he was attacked by another dog." Evalena said.

"Has he had his shots?" Dr. Mike asked.

"Yes, he is 3 years old. His name is Rocky." Evalena said.

"Bring him to the back. I will see what I can do for him." Dr. Mike said.

Punk carried Rocky to the back of the clinic, following Dr. Mike. Punk saw they had a well-equipped animal ER. Evalena appeared too upset to notice much. Punk laid Rocky down on a table.

"Wait out front. I will be out when I can tell you something." Dr. Mike said.

"I wanna stay with him." Evalena protested.

"Come on; let's give him room to work." Punk said and wrapped his arm around her.

Punk led Evalena back out to the reception area. She was crying and shaking. Punk sat down with her and pulled her against him.

"I'm sorry. You probably think I am a nutjob, to be this upset about a dog." Evalena said.

"No, don't apologize. I know family pets are like one of the family and mean a lot to people." Punk rubbed her back. "Besides, I learned a long time ago to never question the bond between a southerner and their hunting dog."

"Bad joke Philip." She chuckled. "But thank you for understanding."

"Sorry our first date turned out so bad." He said.

"That wasn't your fault. We still had a great evening before all hell broke loose." She said.

"I promise, as soon as we are done with Rocky we are going back to the inn, getting our things and leaving there and never looking back." Punk said.

"So you are going back to Chicago?" she asked.

"You want to go back to Tennessee?" he asked.

"I dunno what I want." She admitted.

"I think if we get away from the inn, we will be safe. It seems like Tom just wants us gone so let's do that. We'll go to another hotel and decide what to do from there. Sound good?" Punk asked.

"But why?"

"It will give us a chance to rest and calm down. And…..I don't want to go home yet." Punk said.

"Yeah…I think that would be good. Besides, if I run home scared then Tom wins and I ain't letting that happen." Evalena said.

Punk smiled. "And you wondered why I asked you out."

"We should get you checked out. You may need to get shots." She said.

"I have had a tetanus shot. And we both know that dog wasn't rabid it was possessed." Punk said. "I don't think it is deep enough to need stitches."

"What about your knee? Did you hurt it with all that running and kicking?" she asked.

"Feels sore but I think it will be okay." Punk said.

"I am so sorry this is happening to you. If I had just took your advice and left well enough alone, I wouldn't have pissed off Tom and none of this would be happening." She said.

"It's not your fault. Yeah you were curious and investigated about him. But he is the one using…..fuck is this real? Someone using evil to torment us? It sounds so crazy." Punk said.

"That's because it is. But we are gonna leave it behind, just like you said." Evalena said.

Punk nodded. He still couldn't believe everything that had happened tonight. He realized that he and Evalena were both dirty, he was covered in Rocky's blood and Evalena's legs had some minor scratches from running in the woods. Evalena laid her head on his shoulder and tried to calm herself down. Punk held her, trying to comfort her.

Finally Dr. Mike emerged from the back. Evalena was on her feet before Punk could blink.

"Rocky, how is he?" she asked.

"I have cleaned and stitched his wounds, several were deep. X-rays showed no broken bones. He has lost a lot of blood. I am starting him on IV's of fluid and antibiotics. I would like to keep him, at least overnight and monitor him." Dr. Mike said.

"Will he be okay?" she asked.

"It may take a while but he should recover. Right now I wanna keep him and monitor him." Dr. Mike said.

"Of course. You do whatever you need to." Evalena said.

"I will need you to sign some paperwork." Dr. Mike said.

Evalena nodded as he handed her forms. "Ummm, I don't have my ID on me. We…well we were kinda attacked by that other dog while we were taking a walk, I didn't have my purse."

"I got mine. I will handle this." Punk stood up.

"But…."

"It is fine. We'll sign him in here under my name. I want to be sure he gets good care. He means a lot to you. And I like the little guy too." Punk said.

Evalena practically leaped into Punk's arms. "Thank you. Thank you."

"You are special to me. I am glad to do it." Punk said. "Come on, let's get the paperwork done so we can get out of here, get our stuff and find somewhere else to stay."

_**Author's Note-**__ The story about the guy breaking up with a girl over movie choices is actually true and knowing Punk's love of comics, I thought it would be funny to include here. Welcome to Katie2007, thanks for the review and adding my story to your favorite list. Ilynany, you're awesome as always. Loving all the reviews and appreciate everyone adding this story to their follow list! _


	12. Leaving the Inn

Punk pulled his rental car up to the Beauchene Inn. He helped Evalena out of the car. He grabbed her hand and they hurried towards the inn.

"When we get to our rooms, we leave our doors open, grab our stuff and get out of there. Leave the door open, I don't want you where I can't see or hear you." Punk said.

"I will. Punk I am scared." She said.

"Me too. But I promise, I won't let you get hurt." He said as they hurried up the stairs.

They each went into their own room, making sure to leave their doors open. Evalena started grabbing things and throwing them in her suitcases. She hurriedly emptied drawers and the closet. Punk was doing the same thing in his room, being sure to look across the hall and make sure she was still safe. Evalena hurried and gathered her laptop and all her writing research.

"Almost finished?" Punk called out.

"Almost, just a few more minutes." She said.

She hurried into the bathroom and gathered her things, throwing them in a duffle bag. She looked around quickly to be sure she hadn't forgotten anything.

"Come on, let's get out of here." Punk said.

They picked up their bags, Punk helping her because she had more and they hurried down the stairs. They stopped at the desk and Punk pounded on the bell for service. A few moments later Tom walked out of the back. Despite the late hour, he didn't appear to have been sleeping.

"Is there a problem?" Tom asked.

"We're checking out, right now!" Punk said putting both their keys on the desk.

"But why? Is something wrong?" Tom asked.

"Strange fucking things keep happening around here. We don't feel safe anymore. We just want the fuck away from here." Punk said. "Evalena, go on out to the cars, I will be there in a minute."

Evalena nodded and grabbed a few bags, walking out the door and to the car. Punk turned and glared at Tom.

"What is going on around here?" Punk asked.

"I am not sure what you are talking about." Tom said.

"Cut the bullshit. Evalena and me have both had nightmares, she nearly drown in a pool full of blood and I know damn well that boar wasn't in there when I checked. Now tonight a dog with glowing red eyes attacked us!" Punk said.

"I think you are just upset and irrational." Tom said.

"Really? Go ahead and think that." Punk picked up his bags. "But I am warning you, stay away from us. We're leaving so you are free to do whatever it is you do. Just stay away from Evalena, she has been through enough!"

Punk left without another word and hurried down to his rental car where Evalena was putting bags in the backseat. He opened the trunk and put the remaining bags in there. He helped her put bags in her car as well.

"Punk, where are we gonna go? What place is gonna let us in this time of night?" Evalena asked.

"We'll find somewhere." Punk helped her in her car.

"I'll follow you. Maybe we will find someplace open. I mean this is New Orleans. Lots of partying." She said. He reached over and took Evalena's hand.

"You okay?" he asked.

"I feel a little better now that we are away from that place." She said looking back at the inn.

"Just relax. We're both safe now." Punk kissed her hand. "It's all over."

"Thank you, for everything. You have been so great tonight." She said.

"I like taking care of you." He squeezed her hand.

(Greniux Cabins)

It was nearly 4am and Punk and Evalena had finally found a place to stay. They had agreed they wanted a place quiet where they wouldn't be bothered and have quiet to rest. Punk had called a travel agent he trusted and explained that he needed a place to stay in the middle of the night and that he had been in a minor accident. The agent had found them a cabin rental and to Punk's relief the manager had been very kind when they checked in and didn't ask any questions despite the fact that Punk and Evalena were both dirty, disheveled and had blood on them and that it was the middle of the night.

Once inside their cabin Evalena sat down on the bed, she was exhausted and Punk could see it in her body language.

"Guess I should've requested two beds. I am just so tired I didn't stop to think." Punk said. "Do you want me to have them change it?"

"No, it's fine. I trust you. Besides, I am so tired I couldn't get amorous if Patrick Swayze walked in the door looking like he did in 'Dirty Dancing'." She said.

Punk chuckled. "You can shower first."

"Thanks." She nodded. She dug through a suitcase for some clothes then walked into the bathroom.

Punk unpacked a few of his bags. He was glad to be away from the Beauchene Inn. He finally felt like they were both safe. He hoped now maybe he and Evalena could enjoy being together and see what happened. He was surprised at how much he liked her.

He sat down in one of the chairs and rubbed his eyes. He knew he would have to call John and let him know he had moved to new lodgings. How would he ever explain all this to John? He didn't understand it himself. He couldn't explain why but he really believed that Tom Beauchene was causing them problems with some kind of supernatural powers.

Evalena walked out of the bathroom in yoga pants and a tank top, her hair was wet from the shower. He could see she looked tired.

"Go ahead and get some rest. I am gonna shower then I will be out." Punk said. "I already locked up."

Evalena nodded as Punk went into the bathroom. She pulled the covers back on the bed and turned off the lights except for one lamp. She lay down and tried to make her body relax. She felt better being away from the Beauchene Inn. And she had to admit that Punk made her feel safe. She was so impressed with the way he took care of everything that night.

A few minutes later Punk walked out of the bathroom wearing pajama bottoms.

"Why did you leave the light on?" he asked.

"I didn't want you to trip around in the dark." She shrugged.

He smiled at her and climbed in bed. She turned off the lamp and settled down on her pillow.

"How is your leg?" she asked.

"It's fine. Just a scratch." He said.

Evalena rolled over to face him and gently kissed his lips.

"What was that for?" he smiled.

"We didn't get to kiss goodnight after our date because all chaos broke out…so I thought I would just kiss you goodnight now." She said.

Punk smiled and leaned in and kissed her. "It was worth waiting for."

"Goodnight Punk." She rolled over on her back.

"Goodnight Evalena." He said and turned over on his side.

Evalena tried to get comfortable and go to sleep but she couldn't make her mind shut off. She still felt tense even though they were out of danger.

"Punk….you still awake?" she whispered.

"Yeah…..why?"

"I….I…..I still feel tense and was wondering if you would mind…..would you hold me?" she asked.

"Of course…come here." He turned towards her.

Evalena moved into his arms, pressing herself tightly against him. He wrapped his arms around her.

"Feel better?" he asked.

"Yes, thank you." She said.

He kissed her forehead. "Get some rest. You don't have to be afraid anymore."

(Wednesday Morning)

Punk woke up slowly; he was spooned behind Evalena and felt her tightly pressed against him. She was sound asleep. Punk realized he had morning wood and groaned. He tried to move away from her so she wouldn't know if she woke up. He pulled away a bit but Evalena snuggled back against him. He bit back a moan. He had morning wood and her moving against him was making it worse.

He slowly tried to move away from her again. He looked down and saw she was still asleep. He climbed out of bed and walked into the bathroom. He checked his leg and saw that everything looked fine, it was just a scratch.

After taking care of business in the bathroom, he returned to the bedroom. Evalena was still asleep. He climbed in bed beside her. It was after 10am but they had such a rough night that he didn't mind staying in bed a bit longer. He spooned up behind her again. He pressed his nose against her hair, inhaling deeply.

He heard his cell phone ring and he hurried out of bed to answer it so it wouldn't wake Evalena.

"Hello?"

"Mr. Brooks, this is Dr. Mike." Was heard on the other end.

"Yes, good morning." Punk said and moved into the bathroom so he wouldn't disturb Evalena.

"I am calling to let you know that Rocky is doing well. He has eaten a little bit this morning and if he continues doing well I will release him tomorrow." He said.

"That is great news. I am sure Evalena will be relieved." Punk said.

"And I called in a few favors and got the test results on that stray dog that attacked you rushed. He was negative for rabies." Dr. Mike said.

"Thank you. That is another bit of good news." Punk said.

"If Miss Cole would like to see Rocky, she can stop in during business hours to spend a few minutes with him. I know she was pretty distraught last night." Dr. Mike said.

"Yeah, about that…she takes that dog everywhere with her. Please don't think she is strange….she is just…."

"No need to explain Mr. Brooks. I have seen many people like her over the years." Dr. Mike said.

"We'll be in to see Rocky later this afternoon." Punk said.

"I'll see you then." Dr. Mike said and hung up.

Punk hung up the phone and walked back out into the bedroom. Evalena was still asleep. He smiled; glad she was getting some rest. Once again he crawled in bed beside her and spooned behind her. Evalena stirred a bit and rolled over to face him. He kissed her forehead.

He relaxed and closed his eyes, just resting while holding Evalena. He knew he had to call John or Jeff later in the day. He was relieved he had not reinjured his knee.

Punk fell into a light sleep, but was awakened when he felt something on his arm. He opened his eyes to see Evalena awake and tracing a finger along his tattoos on his arm. She blushed when she noticed he was awake.

"Sorry, I was just admiring your tattoos. You have so many." She said.

"You are so cute when you blush. And I don't mind." Punk told her.

"Did you get some rest?" she asked.

"Yeah. And Dr. Mike called. He said Rocky was doing better and had eaten a little bit. He said you can stop in and visit him later. I knew you would want to so I said we would be in later." Punk said.

"Thank you. I can't thank you enough for helping me with him. I dunno what I would do if I lost him before he was old and ready to go." Evalena said.

"It's okay. I know what he means to you." He assured her. "You feeling better?"

"Yeah, I am so glad to be away from the Beauchene Inn." She said.

Neither Punk nor Evalena seemed to be in a rush to get out of bed.

"So what movie do you want to see today?" Punk asked.

"What?"

"Well I promised to take you to a movie this afternoon. You still want to go?" he smiled.

"Yeah….I just…didn't think you would after last night." She admitted.

"Fuck no. It's like this cute lady I know said 'if I run home scared then Tom wins and I ain't letting that happen'." Punk said.

Evalena chuckled and looked up at him and stared for a few seconds.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah…just…you have the prettiest eyes and that smile…and that lip ring. It's breathtaking sometimes." She said. "How is it you always make me feel so safe? How do you just smile and make me feel like giggling worse than a teenager?"

Punk stroked her cheek and gently leaned in to kiss her. Evalena wrapped her arms around him, pulling herself tighter against him. He rolled her underneath him, settling gently on top of her. Punk licked along her lips and moaned when she opened her mouth, letting him in. Evalena ran her fingers through his hair as he slowly explored every millimeter of her mouth.

When she scratched her nails along the nape of his neck, Punk shivered and pulled back. He took a deep breath and looked down at her.

"We better stop there." He said. "Much more and I won't want to stop and that is not the kind of girl you are. I won't put you in that position."

She smiled and kissed him quickly. "You're amazing!"

"Thanks, but…I don't just hop in bed fast either. That's against my beliefs. Part of being straight edge is to not have casual relationships; to be sure my partner is healthy and have respect for her wishes." He said.

"That is a good philosophy." She smiled. "I am gonna shower."

"I think I will take a jog and check out the grounds while you do that." Punk said as she hopped out of bed.

"Sounds good." She grabbed up a few clothes from a suitcase. "Oh and Punk?"

"Yeah?"

She walked back over to the bed. "Just so you know. I don't do casual relationships either. I haven't had sex since I split with my last serious boyfriend over a year ago. And all my gynecologist exams have turned out fine. I am clean and healthy." She winked and kissed him.

Punk smiled and watched her walk into the bathroom, closing the door.

"Over a year since she had sex? Damn….she will be tighter than hell!" he mumbled.

Punk jumped out of bed and dressed quickly, deciding he better go for his morning jog before he started thinking with the wrong body part.

(Later)

Punk was enjoying his jog around the grounds of the Greniux facility. He was pleased to find they had a pool and a lodge and had seen several other guests in cabins as he had jogged. He had never heard of this place before but was glad his travel agent had arranged for them to stay there. He felt happy that he and Evalena were safe and hoped maybe now they could see what would grow between them without interruptions.

His cell phone started ringing. He reached in his pocket and saw it was John calling. He stopped jogging to answer his phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey Romeo, how was the date?" John chuckled.

"When did you become so interested in my love life?" Punk asked.

"Since me and Orton got money on it." John said.

"Has he kissed her yet?" Punk heard Randy in the background.

"What the fuck? Orton there too?" Punk asked.

"Yeah, we just got back from an autograph signing and decided to call you." John said.

"Again, why do I hang out with you guys?" Punk smiled at his friends' antics.

"Soooo, how was the date?" John asked.

"I ain't paying you shit until he kisses her." Orton said in the background.

"You guys are crazy. The date itself was great. We went on a cruise on the Mississippi River, had dinner and danced." Punk said, not sure how to explain the rest of the evening.

"We have dinner and dancing on a river cruise!" John cheered in his promo voice.

"Big deal. How about at the end of the date?" Orton said.

"Yeah, did you kiss her Punkster?" John asked.

"I feel like a couple of high school girls on the phone talking about prom!" Punk said. "And don't call me that."

"Well did you? I got money riding on this!" John said.

"Yes, I have kissed her!" Punk gave in.

"And we have kissing! You owe me money Orton!" John laughed.

"Was there tongue? I am not paying money for a peck that was like something I give my mother!" Orton said.

"Are you guys this bored on the road?" Punk laughed. "Never mind, you two always did have warped senses of humor. And I respect her too much to say anymore."

"He says he respects her too much to say anymore." John said.

"Fuck. In Punk language that means there was more than just a peck!" Orton said.

"Punk language?" Punk asked.

"Come on Punk, can't fool your friends." John said. "Seriously, she is a great girl. I hope things work out for you two."

"Thanks, look….something strange happened last night. Evalena, and me were attacked by a wild dog. It tore Rocky up pretty good because he tried to protect her." Punk said.

"Are you two okay? How is her dog? She is probably beside herself." John said.

"We're okay. I got a scratch; the dog was negative for rabies. Evalena is fine. We got Rocky to an animal ER and they think he is going to be fine. But…well that was the last straw. Stuff around the Beauchene Inn was just getting too weird so we checked out. She and I are at a campground of cabins now." Punk said.

"What was going on?" John asked.

"Just a lot of weird things and…even I was getting weirded out." Punk tried to be nonchalant.

"Well I am glad you are both safe…sooooo what is your next move with her?" John chuckled.

"Oh no, I don't want you two betting on anything else about her and me." Punk said.

"Come on, we get bored on the road." John laughed.

"Then go watch more of that unsolved show you and Evalena were talking about." Punk laughed and hung up.

Punk headed back towards the cabin he was sharing with Evalena. He saw Evalena sitting on the porch with a cup of coffee as he jogged up.

"Have a good run?" she asked.

"Yeah, gonna grab a quick shower." He smiled.

"How about a comedy this afternoon? Something funny." She smiled.

"Whatever keeps that smile on your face." He kissed her forehead and went inside to shower.

(Afternoon)

Punk walked with Evalena into the animal clinic. He wanted to bring her to see Rocky so it would help put her mind at ease. Punk had to smile at how adorable Evalena looked in jeans and a top.

"Hi, we're here to visit my dog. He is being kept in the animal hospital." She told the receptionist. "Blue tick, named Rocky. Registered under the name Philip Brooks."

"I'll have someone take you back in just a moment." The receptionist said.

Evalena and Punk sat down to wait. She seemed a bit antsy.

"He is fine, I promise." Punk said.

"Yeah…you promised me last night that he would be. How is it you always keep your promises?" she smiled.

"I guess I just like taking care of you." Punk said. He looked over to see the receptionist smiling at them.

"You're so wonderful." She kissed his cheek.

"Mr. Brooks, you ready to see your dog?" a vet tech appeared.

"It's actually her dog. Go on Evalena, I will wait for you." He said.

"Oh no! You helped save him, he protected you too. You're coming with me. He'll want to see you." She pulled Punk up.

"He will?" Punk was amused.

"Of course, animals have feelings. They are loyal and care about people who are good to them." She insisted.

Punk chuckled thinking she was adorable and followed her and the vet tech towards the back where animals were kept for long term care. Rocky was in a large pen and had been coned to keep him from licking his stitches.

"There is my baby." Evalena opened his pen to pet him. "Mommy is so proud of you for helping take care of her. You were so brave." She carefully petted her dog.

"He is doing quite well. He is still a bit weak but he is walking on his own and eating a bit." The tech told them.

"You're such a good boy. Uncle Punk came to see you." She said.

"Uncle Punk?" Punk smiled.

"Sure, why not?" she smiled.

"You are so cute." Punk said. He reached in and patted Rocky.

"I promise as soon as we're allowed we're taking you out of here." She told Rocky.

Punk smiled at how much she loved her dog and was glad she hadn't lost him. He knew that would tear her up.

"Ready to head to the movies now?" he asked.

"Yes and thank you for bringing me here." She said and stood. "Bye baby, see you tomorrow."

"Come on, we can share a large popcorn!" he took her hand and walked with her out of the clinic.

(Late Evening)

Punk and Evalena had spent the afternoon in New Orleans. After visiting the animal clinic, they had gone to see a movie. Evalena was thrilled that Punk took her to a theater where the arm rests lifted and moved the arm rest between them up so they could sit closer. By the end of the movie, they were cuddling. After the movies, they had gone to dinner.

They returned to their cabin to relax. Evalena had fallen asleep and taken a nap. Punk let her rest, knowing she had been through hell. She had been scared a lot longer than he had. He felt bad for not believing her sooner. Punk had gone out to the porch and sat down on the swing to relax. He was surprised at how quickly he felt comfortable and so close to Evalena. He was even more surprised that she had not insisted on getting a separate cabin or at least a cabin with two beds.

Punk heard the cabin door open and looked up to see Evalena walking out.

"Hey there. Have a good nap?" he asked.

She sat down beside him. "Yes, I didn't dream. I just slept." She smiled.

"Evalena, you remember when you told me something about being there when people died and some were ready and others weren't?" Punk asked.

"Yes, why?" she asked.

"I wanna know. What did you mean?"

"Well…..those that I meant were ready to die, were those that had….a relationship with God, accepted Jesus…whatever way you want to phrase it." Evalena said. "Those that weren't ready were those that…didn't."

"And the way they died was different?" Punk asked.

"What does it matter?"

"What we have been through the past few days is like nothing I ever seen before. I mean I done some ghost hunting but never found anything like this." Punk said. "I guess I am just curious what you have seen."

"Well, you remember my grandfather…Philip the one I don't like?" she asked.

"Yeah, you told me about him."

"When I was 11 years old, he was diagnosed with cancer for the third time and when it got to be close to the end, he asked for my mom knowing she was religious. She read with him from the Bible and between her and a minister….he made his peace with God or whatever…he was ready to die at that point. And when he became so sick that he was bedridden and we knew he would pass on at any time…he kept telling us he saw grandma standing at the foot of a staircase….she had been dead for 9 years. And we could see him trying to touch her as he was insisting she was flying around the room. He wasn't afraid and believed she was there, just waiting for when she could finally walk into heaven with him." She said.

"Lack of oxygen or medication could have caused him to hallucinate." Punk said.

"Some people believe that."

"So what about the other side of the coin…people who aren't ready?" Punk asked.

"I don't wanna tell you." She said.

"Why not?"

"Because you are an atheist. I don't wanna scare you." She admitted.

"I can handle it."

"You know how ministers often go to deathbeds to help people get saved before death so they can go to heaven?" she asked.

"Yes."

"A few years ago, the minister of the church I grew up in got a call from one of the families at our church. The father had been in a severe car accident and doctors weren't hopeful. The wife and kids went to church but the dad refused and never had much use for church. The preacher called my dad to go too and I tagged along. We hurried to the hospital and were directed to the injured man's room. When we stepped off the elevator we heard the most awful, gut-wrenching scream. I have never heard anything like it. Turned out it was the injured man screaming. When we got to his room, despite his injuries he was kicking his feet and screaming that…screaming that the flames were burning his feet. Then he was gone, just like someone flipped a switch. The preacher was so shook up he now refuses to go to deathbeds of people who aren't ready, he can't handle it anymore." She said.

"You really saw that?" he asked.

She nodded. "I'm sorry. Maybe I shouldn't have told you."

"It's fine. I have heard similar stories over the years." Punk said.

"Can we not talk about this? I just wanna be happy now that I am finally away from the Beauchene Inn."

"Sure." He wrapped his arms around her. "It's great being safe now. Today has been wonderful."

"I enjoyed today too." She cuddled against him.

"So what do you want to do tomorrow?" he asked.

"Well I need to work on my book some more. Got a little behind with all the chaos. But in the evening I would love to do something."

"Me too." He kissed her forehead.

"I am really enjoying being with you." She looked up at him.

"I am enjoying it too." He kissed her. "And now we're safe so we can really relax and enjoy the rest of our time together."

_**Author's Note- **__The stories about people dying in this chapter are ones I have heard from reliable sources. Again, they are in no way meant to influence your beliefs, but they helped inspire parts of the story and were included here. This story is fiction and was inspired from various sources. _


	13. Cold Fear

(Wednesday Night)

Punk was lying in bed reading while Evalena took a shower. They had stayed for hours on the porch talking and cuddling. He was amazed at how much he cared about her already. He looked down at the book he was reading and smirked that Evalena had talked him into reading one of her unsolved murders books. He liked her sense of curiosity, even if it sometimes got her into trouble.

He looked up as Evalena walked out of the bathroom and bit back a moan. She was wearing shorts and a baby doll t-shirt. She walked over to the bed and climbed in beside him.

"Enjoying my book?" she asked.

"Yeah, now I can see why you are so drawn to this stuff." He smiled at her.

"Which case you reading?" she looked over his shoulder.

"The serial killer of Cleveland one." Punk said.

"Ohhh, the Butcher of Kingbury Run. The case that stumped Eliot Ness himself!" she said. "That one breaks my heart. Not only did they never find the killer, but out of all those victims only two were identified. John and Jane Does are always hard for me to accept."

"Why is that?"

"It feels so…empty. To be dead and no one know who you are, your loved ones can't be with you and they may never know what even happened to you. I mean…everyone has someone, somewhere out there that cares about them or loved them at one point…..a parent, friend, teacher, somebody." She said.

Punk smiled at her. "You have such a big heart."

She looked down and blushed but was smiling.

"And you are so adorable when you blush, I swear." He chuckled.

"You gonna read some more?"

"Not tonight. I am pretty tired. You ready to turn in?" he asked.

"Yeah." She said and adjusted her pillows.

Punk tossed the book on the nightstand and turned out the lamp. He lay down on the bed next to Evalena. She reached over and interlocked their fingers. He smiled over at her.

"Goodnight Miss Tennessee." He kissed her.

"Goodnight Mr. Straight edge." She chuckled.

(3AM)

Evalena and Punk were both sleeping soundly and had cuddled up together in their sleep with Evalena resting her head on Punk's chest. Evalena was slowly awakened by the feel of something cold on her neck.

"Punk, your hand is freezing." She mumbled. The cold feeling remained. "Punk, seriously, your hands are cold."

"Hmmm." Punk stirred slightly.

Still feeling cold on her neck, Evalena opened her eyes to knock Punk's hands away, but found Punk wasn't touching her neck. Punk was asleep one arm around her shoulders and the other flung over his head. She looked around confused, wondering if maybe they needed to adjust the air conditioning in the room.

Suddenly Evalena felt something cold push her away from Punk and pin her to the bed. She started to cry out but felt herself being choked; something was tightly squeezing around her neck. She couldn't see anything and it was hurting. Desperately she tried to sit up but was held down. She flailed her arms, trying to knock away whatever was holding her but she remained pinned. She used one arm to hit Punk, trying to wake him.

Punk was awakened by her hitting him. "What? Evalena what is wrong?" he opened his eyes.

He looked over and saw Evalena grabbing at her throat and she looked distressed. He hurried and clicked on the lamp to see what was going on. He looked back to see Evalena's face was very red and she was gasping to breath.

"Are you choking? Were you eating?" he tried to pull her into a sitting position couldn't. "What the fuck?"

Punk jumped off the bed and tried to pick her up, but felt himself knocked to the ground.

"What the fuck?" he yelled.

He leaped to his feet and again tried to pull Evalena off the bed. He was shoved forcefully into the wall by something he could not see. Suddenly Evalena was thrown to the floor. She coughed and gagged trying to breathe but something grabbed her arms and started dragging her across the floor.

"Punk!" she screamed, kicking her feet and trying to get her arms free.

"Evalena, what the fuck is happening?" he yelled.

"Punk!" she yelled again.

Punk grabbed at her legs trying to keep her from being dragged further but he couldn't and whatever it was just dragged him too. He let go to look for a weapon, but was stumped how to fight something he couldn't see.

Whatever had Evalena stopped dragging her and began choking her again. She fought, practically clawing at her own neck to get whatever it was away from her.

"Hey! Whatever you are, leave her the fuck alone!" Punk yelled. "You wanna fight someone, fight me! Leave her alone and fucking fight me!"

Evalena felt herself released and watched in horror as Punk was thrown against the wall.

"Punk, oh my god!" she screamed and ran over to him. She coughed and gagged from being choked and tried to help him up. She felt something smack her and knock her to the ground.

"Fuck! It hurts!" Punk yelled. "Something is sitting on my knee! I can't move"

Evalena watched wide-eyed as Punk tried to move but one leg was pinned to the floor. Evalena knew she had to do something.

"Our father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." She began praying and ran over to Punk, kneeling beside him and wrapping her arms around him. "Give is this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil."

"I can move…I can move!" Punk said and rubbed his knee. "It's gone…I think."

"What….what happened?" she was shaking.

"I was about to ask you the same thing." He said.

"Oh no, your knee. Did it reinjure your knee?" she asked.

"I dunno. Come on, let's at least get off the floor." Punk said.

Evalena helped him stand but refused to let go of him. They slowly made their way back to the bed.

"Punk, I'm scared." She said.

"Me too. I think whatever that was, it had something to do with Tom Beauchene!" Punk said as he lowered himself on the bed.

"But we're not at the Beauchene Inn anymore." Evalena said.

"Apparently it doesn't matter. Whatever that was choked you, dragged us both around and fucked with my knee." Punk said. "How do you feel?"

"Scared and cold….I'm so cold." She said.

"Come here." Punk pulled her onto the bed beside him.

"Hold me, please. I'm so scared." She said.

"I got you." He said and wrapped his arms around her.

She buried her face in his neck. "Hold me."

"I am holding you." He held her tighter.

"Don't let go. Don't let go." She said.

"I won't, I promise." He said. "I'm right here."

"What are we gonna do?" she was still shaking.

"I dunno. I honestly have no fucking clue." He sighed.

Punk rubbed her back, trying to calm her down. Evalena held onto him as if he was air and she was drowning.

"You still cold?" he asked.

"I am warming up." She said. "Whatever that was…it was cold to the touch."

"Yeah…..I thought getting away from the Beauchene Inn we would be safe." Punk said. "How did he send that….or do that or…whatever that was?"

"I dunno." She said.

"Did you find anything like this when you did your research?"

"No, nothing like this. Maybe I should see a priest or go see one of those voodoo priestess' again." She said. "How is your knee?"

"I don't think it is serious enough I will need to see a doctor." Punk said.

"Punk…Phil….I want you to go back to Chicago." She said.

Punk moved back so he could look at her. "Why?"

"Because I don't want you getting hurt. If something happens that would affect your career….."

"I am not abandoning you!" Punk said.

"But this is my fault! You told me to leave it alone but I just wouldn't! I don't want you getting hurt because I was stupid!" she insisted.

"This is not your fault! Yes, you were nosy but Tom Beauchene is the one hurting people. He is the one using….supernatural powers or some shit to hurt people…this is his fault and only his fault." Punk said.

"But whatever this is…it seems to target me. You only get hurt when you try to help me. Maybe if you and me weren't around each other, it would leave you alone." She said.

"It followed us here, what makes you think it wouldn't follow me somewhere else? Fuck, maybe Tom's goal is to get us to stop helping each other. But I cannot and will not leave you here alone to face this." Punk said.

"Maybe I should head home to Tennessee, maybe he just wants me out of New Orleans or out of Louisiana." She said.

"And if you're wrong? Do you think I want to attend your funeral? I already did that once in a dream and it was bad enough." Punk said.

"But…"

"No! I am not abandoning you. I am not leaving you. Whatever this is, we face it together." Punk insisted.

"But…"

"Evalena…you are special to me. I am not leaving you until I am sure that you will be safe and that anytime I want to call you, I know you will be able to answer and tell me some other crazy story about a twice dead guy or whatever." Punk stroked her cheek. "Nothing you can say is getting me away from you until I know we are both safe."

"I…are you…I mean….thank you." She wrapped herself around him, hugging him tightly.

"It's okay. Tomorrow we'll go together and see a priest or a voodoo priestess or whatever. Hell I don't care if we find a witch doctor, just as long as we get some answers." Punk rubbed her back.

"I am so glad I have you." She said.

"Try to rest." He kissed her forehead.


	14. Madame Tasse

(Thursday Morning)

Punk awoke to find Evalena already awake and watching him sleep. He pulled back from her a bit, hoping she hadn't noticed his morning wood. She smiled up at him.

"Good morning Punk." She smiled.

"How long you been awake?" he asked.

"I dunno. I woke up and just stayed put so I wouldn't wake you." She shrugged. "You look so cute when you sleep."

"How are you feeling this morning?" he asked.

"Still scared." She admitted.

"Me too. But we are gonna get to the bottom of this. We're going to find a way to get all this supernatural shit to stop and then we are going to go somewhere out of Louisiana together." Punk said.

"We are?"

"If you want to. I would love to. I have grown quite fond of you and would love for us to spend some time together without all this supernatural stuff in the way." Punk said.

"I would really like that." She smiled. "But should we be getting so attached to each other considering you have to go back on the road at the end of the month?"

"Is that what you want?" Punk asked.

"No, but…..I don't wanna get hurt either." She said.

"Baby, life is about taking chances. But….I like you a lot. And if we find that we really want to be together….you already travel to research your books and such, right? That opens the door for us to spend time together more than some of the other guys get to see their girls. I just hope you can be patient with my hectic schedule." He told her.

"You really thought this out?" she asked.

"Yeah….guess all this time we spent together, I got to know you and I really like you." Punk said.

"I really like you too. But…I have a confession to make." She said.

"What? You're not married are you?" Punk asked.

Evalena giggled. "No worse….I am a huge Cena fan. I even put it on my answering machine when he won the United States championship at Wrestlemania XX."

Punk chuckled. "Now I have heard everything."

"You really wanna keep seeing me? I am not just a summer fling?" she asked.

"I am straight edge remember? I don't do flings." He said.

She smiled and leaned over and kissed him. "I have another confession."

"Don't tell me. You are Dwayne Johnson fan too?" he smirked.

"Yes, but that isn't my confession." She giggled. "When I watch you on TV, I would wonder what kissing you with your lip ring would feel like."

"And the verdict?"

"I like it. And it's very you." She smiled.

He leaned over and kissed her again.

"Come on, we need to get answers if we are ever gonna feel safe again." She said.

"You're right, but can we pick this up when the supernatural shit is all over?" he smiled.

"We better. I haven't even told you what your straight edge tattoo on your abdomen has made me think before." She winked and hopped out of bed.

(Afternoon)

Evalena and Punk walked down the sidewalk towards one of the local Catholic churches. Both of them wondering if a priest could help. They walked up the front steps and entered the church.

"I am not sure what to do." Punk said taking off his ball cap.

"There is a font. It is full of holy water." She said. She hurried over and stuck her fingers gently in the water.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"It doesn't burn. The church isn't upsetting me. It means that whatever attacked us last night, hasn't possessed me." She said.

"This is weird." Punk admitted.

Evalena grabbed his hand and put it in the water as well.

"No burn, you're okay too." She smiled.

"Should we take some of this with us?" Punk asked.

"I dunno. Would that be stealing?" she asked.

"Can I help you?" a priest appeared behind them.

"Oh, hello Father. We were…..we were….we have…..have you ever had any encounters with devil worshippers?" Evalena asked.

"Is this some kind of prank?" the priest asked.

"No sir, we know someone that practices devil worship and were wondering if it would be possible for him to….put a curse on us?" Evalena said.

"Are you a believer?" the priest asked.

"I am." Evalena said.

"I'm…let's say agnostic for now." Punk said.

Evalena looked startled but said nothing.

"If you are a believer and your faith is strong, Satan cannot harm you. It is most likely that this is psychological." The priest said.

"Can demons possess animals?" Punk asked.

"Of course, that was even in the Bible." Evalena said.

"If you believe someone is using demons to harm you, maybe you should have your home blessed." The priest said. "However, it will not work unless you have real faith."

"You mean she could be in danger because I don't believe?" Punk asked.

"Her faith will keep her safe, depending on how strong it is. Those without faith are the most vulnerable." The priest said.

"Can my faith keep him safe?" she asked.

"That I cannot answer. Would you like me to arrange to have your house blessed?" the priest asked.

"We don't live here. And wherever we go it seems to follow us." Punk said.

"Father, I know that this being New Orleans you probably have heard a lot of crazy things. Can someone be a disciple of Satan to the point they become powerful?" Evalena asked.

"Satan plays tricks and lies, so someone who believes Satan is helping them is truly being deceived." The priest said.

"Thank you father, if there is anything else we need, we will come back." Evalena said.

She grabbed Punk's hand and hurried out of the church.

"Evalena, what? Maybe he could help." Punk said.

"I don't think so. He was obviously reluctant to get involved. Either because he thought we were trying to pull a prank or because many in the Catholic Church are reluctant to get involved with demon possession and such. Besides, I don't think a prayer or blessing is gonna work." She said.

"Your praying helped last night." Punk pointed out.

"Yes, but what if it doesn't work next time. And baby, you are naked without faith in God in this battle." Evalena said.

"So what do you suggest?" Punk asked.

"I think we need to see someone who knows the ways of hoodoo or something. Find out how to fight this. I think unconventional methods are called for." She said.

"Okay, I will try anything. I just want us both to be safe." Punk said.

"Come on, we can try the voodoo priestess I talked to last week." Evalena said.

(Outside town)

Evalena had instructed Punk to drive to an old building that was just outside New Orleans. The place was unmarked but there were herbs and roots hanging in the windows.

"How did you find this place? It looks creepy." Punk said.

"I knew I wouldn't get anywhere with the cheesy tourist trap voodoo shops in New Orleans. So I asked around until I found out about this place. It's authentic and definitely not a tourist trap." Evalena said.

"Okay, I am willing to give it a try." Punk said.

"I need you to go in there with an open mind. You will need to put aside everything you ever thought was real and be open to new ideas." Evalena said.

"Considering everything that has happened that will be easy." Punk said.

Punk got out of the car and opened the door for Evalena. The two of them walked inside the shop, seeing it was empty. Punk could see herbs, oils, roots and other memorabilia around the shop.

"Hello? Madame Tasse?" Evalena called out.

After a few moments a lady walked out of the back. Madame Tasse was an older African American lady dressed in a long white dress and had a white scarf tied around her head. Punk was surprised at how normal the woman looked.

"Ah yes, you were here last week. How are you?" Madame Tasse asked.

"Actually, we are having a bit of trouble and we were hoping you could help." Evalena said.

"This your husband?" Madame Tasse asked.

"No he's my….we just started dating so I am not sure what to label us." Evalena said.

"I'm Phil, you can call me Punk." Punk said.

"What seems to be the trouble? Last week you were asking about that bag you found and mentioned finding an altar." Madame Tasse said.

"Do you know the Beauchene Inn out by Lake Pontchartrain?" Evalena asked.

"This is about the Beauchene Inn?" Madame Tasse asked. Evalena nodded. "We better step into the back."

Evalena squeezed Punk's hand and they followed Madame Tasse into the back. They were surprised to find a room with a table and chairs, candles and figurines around the room.

"Please take a seat." She told them. "Now tell me about the Beauchene's. How do you know them?"

"We were both staying at the Beauchene Inn. At first everything was normal except for the fact Evalena's dog hated the Beauchene's. Anytime any of them were near, he would growl and bark and go crazy." Punk explained.

"Animals sense things humans cannot. The dog probably sensed the evil in them right away." Madame Tasse said.

"Evil? So it's true that Tom Beauchene practices black magic or something?" Evalena asked.

"Not just Tom…the entire Beauchene family has practiced black magic for generations. They have used their evil for money, power and murder." Madame Tasse said.

"Murder?" Evalena paled.

"Anyone that gets in their way usually comes up missing. Of course there is never any evidence of wrongdoing so no charges are ever brought. And any rumors are always hushed away by their powerful friends." Madame Tasse said.

"Wait…local officials are in on this?" Punk asked.

"Not knowingly. The black magic has brought the Beauchene's friends in powerful places, but those in authority do not realize they are being used. It is easy for the Beauchene's to make friends in high society because they have been a business family in New Orleans for over 100 years. Very few know how deep their evil runs." Madame Tasse explained. "What happened to you at the inn?"

"Well after I started snooping around when I noticed Tom acting weird, I started having nightmares, Tom was in them and he said things there was no way he could know. Then there was a fire in my room and I couldn't get out but when Punk got the door open…there had never been a fire." Evalena said.

"They are more powerful than ever before." Madame Tasse said. "Anything else happen?"

"The pool filled with blood and something pulled me under, I nearly drowned." Evalena said.

"Then I started having nightmares too." Punk said. "Then we found a weird altar or something in a room at the inn. And then a dog…possessed or something attacked us." Punk said.

"We thought by leaving the inn we would be safe. But last night something we couldn't see attacked us. It went away when I prayed." Evalena said.

"Child, if I had known you were staying at the Beauchene Inn I would've told you to leave when you were here last week." Madame Tasse said.

"Tell us about the Beauchene's. What all do you know about them?" Punk asked.

"The family got into the dark arts at the end of the Civil War. Every Beauchene for five generations has sold their soul to the devil at the crossroads." Madame Tasse said. "And the devil has given them everything they wanted. In 1942, Jacob Beauchene even married a girl against her will."

"Jacob…isn't he the one that was killed in Europe during the war?" Evalena asked.

"You have done some snooping. Yes, that was Jacob. You see Jacob had fallen in love with a local girl, but she wanted nothing to do with him. Her name was Laura. She had heard the rumors about the Beauchene's and wanted nothing to do with Jacob, she was very afraid of him and his family. But he placed a curse on her family and only agreed to lift it when she agreed to marry him." Madame Tasse said. "Him being killed in the war was a blessing for that child. She left Louisiana and never looked back."

"How do you know all this?" Punk asked.

"My family has lived in New Orleans for years. My great-grandmother was a mambo priestess as well. Thomas Beauchene…Jacob's father came to my great-grandmother wanting her help with his black magic….but she refused. Voodoo is not to be used for evil." Madame Tasse explained.

"This is a picture of a worship room or something we found at the inn." Evalena pulled out her cell phone, showing the pictures she took to Madame Tasse.

"A black magic altar." Madame Tasse said.

"So what do we do? Has Tom put a curse on us?" Evalena asked.

"Would you let me read the tarot cards? It will help the flashes of empathy I get." Madame Tasse said.

"Does that involve demons or anything?" Evalena asked.

"No, it just helps me get a better reading of your energy." She said.

Evalena looked at Punk. He nodded and squeezed her hand.

"Okay." Evalena told Madame Tasse.

Madame Tasse grabbed her deck of tarot cards and shuffled them. She began laying the cards out in a diamond pattern. She set the rest of the cards aside and looked over the cards.

"Tom wanted Evalena out of the way. He knew she was on to him and that she had learned too much….more than just the usual gossip. But Punk was an unexpected hindrance…so now he wants you both out of the way. He knows now that if something were to happen to Evalena, Punk's accusations would be hard to ignore…you're famous?" she looked at Punk.

"I am a professional wrestler." Punk answered.

"Tom's plan is for you both to die in a way that is mysterious and cannot be traced back to him. He thought he was rid of Evalena in the pool but Punk foiled that plan. He cast demons into the water, but when Punk pulled you out, he threw a dead animal in the pool to cover his tracks. He then tried the dog but that plan didn't work because you found holy ground." Madame Tasse said. "He realizes that as long as you two remain together he is going to have trouble."

"What do we do? How can we move on in life and be free of this?" Punk asked.

"You must destroy the Beauchene's power. It has gotten stronger over the past 100 years as each Beauchene died making the next more powerful, and you must destroy it. As each Beauchene died, they worked for evil in the afterlife to help their descendants; it was part of the pact they made with the devil." Madame Tasse said.

"How do we do that?" Punk asked.

"You must destroy the evil at its source. And you will have to put to rest the souls of his ancestors who now work for him in the afterlife now. They must be buried in holy ground." Madame Tasse said.

"How do we destroy their power?" Evalena asked.

"You must destroy and purify the altars. Send the evil back to hell." Madame Tasse said.

"Wait…weren't Tom's ancestors buried in holy ground to start with?" Evalena asked.

"Only Jacob was buried in holy ground during the war. All the other Beauchene's…men and women have been cremated. Their ashes are somewhere at the inn. Until those ashes are laid to rest in holy ground and the altars purified…Tom and his parents will remain powerful and will work to destroy the two of you." Madame Tasse said.

"Punk, what do we do? I'm scared." Evalena said.

"I am too." He hugged her. "But we have to do this. Police can't help and the Beauchene's have some powerful friends. We'll get through this."

"That is good. You'll need that." Madame Tasse said.

"Need what?" Evalena asked.

"Your bond. Though your romance is new, the feelings you both have are strong. Tom knows that and it is a weakness of his. He will try to turn you against each other, but don't let him. Hold tight to your feelings for each other and let them grow. The stronger your blossoming love grows the better your chances of defeating him." Madame Tasse said.

"What else will we need?" Punk asked.

"I will give you what you will need. The rest is up to you." She said. "Come with me."

Madame Tasse got up and walked back out into her shop. Punk and Evalena followed her. In the shop, Madame Tasse began gathering items.

"This is bundles of sage. You will need them to cleanse the area after destroying the altars. And here is some holy water; it should come in handy for cleansing and protection as well." She said. "This is mugwort; sprinkle this near your bed to prevent Tom from invading your dreams again."

"Does this stuff really work?" Punk asked.

"If you truly believe Philip." Madame Tasse grabbed his hand.

"How did you know…?"

She chuckled. "It's part of my gifts, child. For this to work Philip, you have to believe with your entire soul. Evalena has a strong faith in God because of her upbringing and it is going to be a fierce weapon in the battle you now face. But you must believe as well, in her, yourself and the power of good. Maybe this will even help you believe in God." She squeezed his hand.

"I won't let Tom hurt her." Punk said.

"There is that bond I was talking about. Hold tight to it." She said and turned back to the shelves. "You will need red brick dust. Put a line of red brick dust in your doorways and anyone who means you harm cannot cross it."

"Like in the movies?" Evalena asked.

"One of the few accurate details in a movie dealing with the dark arts." Madame Tasse said. "Cascarilla…sprinkle this powder around your home and even on your body for protection against negative spirits."

"Is this everything?" Evalena asked.

"One more thing for you, child." Madame Tasse said. She pulled out a wooden cross about 5 inches long. She placed it in Evalena's hand and wrapped Evalena's hands around it and covered Evalena's hands with her own. "You hold on tight to your faith. Do not let the devil deceive you because he will try."

"I'm still scared." Evalena said.

"You must now be braver and stronger than you ever have been before. Keep your faith; hold tight to your feelings for Philip. You two will get through this." Madame Tasse said.

"Thank you." Evalena hugged her.

"A soul bond is very special and comes along only once in a lifetime." Madame Tasse said.

"A soul bond?" Punk asked.

"In time you will understand, it will all make sense." She smiled.

"Thank you for everything." Punk said.

"Take care of each other." She said.

Punk gathered the things she had given them and walked with Evalena out of the shop. He opened the door and let her into the car and put the items from Madame Tasse in the back seat. He climbed in the driver's seat and started the car. He pulled out and headed towards their rented cabin.

"Punk?" she asked.

"We're gonna be fine. No black magic asshole is going to hurt me or you. I told you, we're gotta get rid of this mess, leave Louisiana and go somewhere, just the two of us. And when I fucking go back on the road, I am flying you in for Summerslam." Punk said.

"You are?"

"I am." He took her hand.

"I would love that." She smiled.

"We'll make it Evalena, I promise." He smiled.

(Evening)

Evalena was putting the red brick dust along the doorway and windows. Punk was outside sprinkling the cascarilla around the outside of the cabin. She walked outside to the porch and sat down on the swing.

"Dr. Mike called. He said we can pick up Rocky tomorrow. He is still doing well." Punk said and sat down beside her.

"That's good. I miss him." Evalena said.

"You okay?" Punk asked.

"This is all my fault. If I had minded my own business, Tom wouldn't be out to kill us. You got involved trying to help me. If I had just stayed out of it like you told me to, none of this would be happening." Evalena said.

"Baby, listen to me. Madame Tasse said the Beauchene's have hurt people with this mumbo jumbo. They are the ones choosing to hurt people, and just because you learned their secret doesn't mean they have a right to hurt you. They are in the wrong here." Punk wrapped an arm around her. "Stop blaming yourself. I don't blame you."

"How is it you always make me feel better?" she asked.

"Just a gift I guess." He smiled.

"What are we gonna do?" she asked.

"We're gonna come up with a plan and then we're gonna take away all the Beauchene's power. Then we are packing up and going to…where do you wanna go?" Punk asked.

"I dunno."

"We'll figure it out. For now let's just relax and enjoy the sunset." Punk said.

"Sounds wonderful." She cuddled beside him.

_**Author's Note- **__Hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. I haven't had any reviews in two chapters so it is difficult to know what readers are thinking. I want to stress again that this story is fiction so if some of the religious or supernatural parts were written differently than legend states or what you believe, remember this is FICTION and just for entertainment! _


	15. Will it work?

(Friday Morning)

Punk returned from getting breakfast and quietly entered their cabin. He saw that Evalena was still asleep. After an uneventful night in which both of them had been able to sleep without nightmares, he felt safe in leaving her alone long enough to get breakfast from the lodge. He sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Evalena, wake up baby, it's nearly 10am." Punk rubbed her shoulder.

Evalena rolled over towards him and opened her eyes. "Good morning."

"I brought us some breakfast. I thought it would be okay leaving you alone for 15 minutes while I got breakfast." Punk said.

Evalena sat up. "We slept all night. No nightmares, nothing attacked us."

"I guess Madame Tasse knows her stuff." Punk said.

"I am starving what did you bring us?"

"Being a country girl I brought you grits, eggs, and bacon. Coffee black just the way you like it." Punk said.

"That sounds wonderful." She said as Punk handed her the Styrofoam box her breakfast was in.

"By the way, you look so adorable in the mornings…hair half messy, no make-up, still looking sleepy." Punk winked.

Evalena chuckled. "Thanks. I think you look adorable lots of times. You have pretty eyes and when you smile, I just melt…always have even when I watched you on TV."

"Oh really?" Punk smiled, opening his box.

"Oh yeah, and some of your on-screen antics have made me laugh until I cried. Like when you were making snow angels in the ring. And all that stuff you did to Laurenitis." Evalena smiled. "I swear when you brought out that mannequin and showed that corny 80s tribute about Laurenitis, I almost peed my pants."

"Glad you enjoy me on screen." Punk said.

"I like you off screen too. You are an amazing person." She smiled.

"Does it bother you that I am an atheist….or I guess agnostic now. I can't completely say I believe in God but after all I have witnessed the past few days I can no longer deny that something out there is powerful." Punk said.

"No, it doesn't bother me. Everyone has to find their faith in their own way and their own time." She said.

"I have been thinking what we should do, to break the power of the Beauchene's." Punk said.

"You have a plan?" she asked.

"I think so. Destroying the altar they have in the woods will be easy. We can take the path starting near that Methodist church. It's gonna be harder to destroy their altar in the inn. And then we have to find the cremated remains of their ancestors. We need to get them out of the inn for a while." Punk said.

"How are we gonna do that? I don't remember a time where there wasn't at least one of the Beauchene's at the inn." Evalena said.

"That is gonna be the tricky part." Punk said.

"Maybe if you could get them away from the inn, I could find the cremated remains on my own." Evalena said.

"I don't want you there on your own." Punk said.

"We may not have a choice." Evalena said.

"And how do you suggest I do that?" Punk asked.

"Call them up, invite them out somewhere. Say you wanna apologize for how you acted and that you realized I was a nutjob." Evalena said.

"Think they will buy that?"

"Even if they don't I am sure they would want to see you, find out what you are up to. They are trying to kill you after all." She said.

"And while I have them in town somewhere, you find the ashes of their ancestors?" Punk said.

"Yes, I think it may be our only shot." She said.

"What about the altar on the 3rd floor?" Punk asked.

"Think you could keep them away long enough for me to destroy it too?" Evalena asked.

"How are you going to do that?" Punk asked.

"I was thinking….if I could burn all the relics and worship items….then burn the sage in the room and use the holy water. Then meet you somewhere and we could bury the ashes." Evalena said.

"It sounds risky. What if they find you there and I am not around?" Punk asked.

"Do you have any better ideas?" she asked.

"Couldn't you meet with them in town and I go out to the inn?" Punk asked.

"They wouldn't agree to that. They know I would never believe it was all a big misunderstanding." Evalena countered.

"And what do we say when they report their stuff stolen and inn broken into?" Punk asked.

"I doubt they will go to the cops and say 'hey someone broke in and stole our devil worship items, it was a pro-wrestler and the girl he is dating'." Evalena said. "They won't admit that stuff has been taken or tampered with."

"And if they do?" Punk asked.

"Who would believe them? The story sounds so stupid not even the Enquirer would buy it." Evalena said.

"You have a point. Finish your breakfast; we will talk about this more later. We need to go get Rocky." Punk said.

(Afternoon)

Evalena and Punk were driving back from Dr. Mike's clinic. They had picked up Rocky from the clinic. Evalena was thrilled that he was going to be okay even if he was moving slow and had several stitched wounds. Punk was glad to see that Evalena was so happy.

"Do you think we should get someone to help us?" Punk asked.

"No, if anyone else gets involved that is just one more person who might end up dead. I couldn't stand anyone else getting hurt." She said.

"This is a lot for just the two of us. I was just thinking someone should go to the inn with you to help you." Punk said.

"No, I won't let anyone else get hurt." Evalena said.

"Okay, okay, point taken." Punk said. "I just worry about you going there alone."

"And I worry about you meeting them alone, but we have to be strong and have faith in each other." She said.

"Okay…well when do you want to do this?" Punk said.

"Why don't you call them, set up plans for tomorrow evening? During the day you and me can go destroy their altar in the woods and then you go meet them for dinner while I go to the inn." Evalena said.

"I guess that would work. I would be lying if I said I wasn't scared shitless." Punk said.

"I know…me too. But we'll get through this. After all you promised to bring me to Summerslam!" Evalena said.

"You are being very brave." Punk said.

"Madame Tasse said I have to be." She said.

They arrived back at their cabin and Evalena helped Rocky out of the car. He was moving slow but walking on his own. Punk walked with Evalena as they made their up to the porch. Evalena took Rocky inside the cabin.

"I am gonna call the Beauchene's." Punk said.

"Think you can be convincing on the phone?" Evalena asked.

"Of course, look how many times I have had a feud with one of my friends on TV." Punk said. "Just trust me, and don't take anything I say to heart, it's all acting."

"I do trust you." Evalena said.

"Lock Rocky in the bathroom so he doesn't bark." Punk said.

Evalena moved Rocky into the bathroom and shut the door. She saw Punk dialing his cell phone. She sat down quietly on a chair to listen as Punk paced around with the phone to his ear.

"Hey, is this Tom?...Yeah, glad I caught you this is Phil Brooks." Punk said into the phone. Evalena could only hear Punk's side of the conversation. "Actually I was calling to apologize about how I acted….Well Evalena I think was out of her mind. I realized she was talking nonsense and blowing stuff way out of proportion and sent the bitch packing."

Evalena had to smile at Punk's performance on the phone.

"Yeah….you're a guy you know how it is….skirts can make you think with the wrong head." Punk said. "Exactly, so listen...I was thinking that I could take you and your family out to dinner tomorrow evening, kinda an apology for everything…hey I am sorry for the way I acted, amazing what a pretty girl can get you to believe….No, I have no idea where Evalena is. For all I know she took that damn dog of hers and went back to where she came from."

Punk smiled at Evalena to reassure her this was just an act.

"Yeah….tomorrow at 7pm sounds great…..sure I know where that is…yeah I will meet you guys there….bye." Punk said and hung up the phone.

"They agreed?" Evalena asked.

"Yeah that almost seemed too easy." Punk frowned.

"Well if Tom thinks he has us split up he is probably doing cartwheels." Evalena said.

"I still don't like the idea of you going there alone." Punk said.

"I will be fine. The Beauchene's will be with you. I trust you." Evalena hugged Punk.

"I know. I just want this over." Punk held her tight.

"It will be soon." She said.


	16. Return to the Beauchene Inn

(Saturday Afternoon)

Punk and Evalena drove in Punk's rental to the Methodist Church down the road from the Beauchene Inn. They parked in the church parking lot. Punk pulled one of the bags they had packed out of the trunk of his car.

"You ready for this?" Punk asked.

Evalena took a deep breath. "Yes, I want to get this done. I am tired of being afraid all the time."

"We're in this together." Punk took her hand.

"I know." She said.

They started walking past the small cemetery down to the edge of the woods. Punk could tell Evalena was scared. They entered the woods, trying to be as quiet as possible in case one of the Beauchene's was at the altar. They approached slowly and saw no one around.

"Looks like the coast is clear." Punk said.

"Why would they have two altars?" Evalena asked.

"Who knows? These people are out of their minds." Punk said.

They walked into the center of the circle of stones. Punk set the bag down and opened it, taking out a wedge and sledgehammer. Evalena pulled out her wooden cross and some of the holy water.

"I have no idea what I am doing. I have only seen this stuff on TV." Evalena said.

"Try praying, quoting the Bible, sing hymns, anything." Punk said.

Punk took the wedge and the sledgehammer and began breaking the large stones. Evalena began sprinkling the holy water around the area.

"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul." She said as she sprinkled the holy water.

Punk worked quickly, breaking the stones as quickly as he could. He kept an eye out for anyone that might walk up on them.

"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for thou are with me." She continued sprinkling water.

"Three more stones." Punk said.

He watched as Evalena moved back to the bag as she continued repeating the 23rd Psalm. She took a bundle of sage out of the bag.

"Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life. And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." She said, laying the sage on some of the broken stones.

She stood back and watched Punk as he broke the last few stones. He walked over and grabbed up the bag and put the sledgehammer and wedge back inside. He pulled out a lighter. He looked at Evalena. She nodded and he bent down and lit the bundle of sage. He stood up and grasped her hand.

"Our father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen." Evalena prayed.

They stood a few more moments watching the sage burn. Suddenly they heard loud wailing and screaming. Punk pushed Evalena behind him looking around but unable to see anyone.

"I don't see anybody!" Punk yelled to be heard over the screams.

"It must be the demons being sent back to hell!" Evalena yelled back.

Punk pulled Evalena behind a nearby tree, holding her against him. They looked back at the burning sage but couldn't see anything, but the screaming continued.

"How long will this last?" Punk yelled.

"I don't know!" she yelled back.

Punk held her tighter, not knowing what else to do. Finally the screaming stopped. They looked back towards the altar they had destroyed.

"I think they're gone." Evalena said.

"Let's get the fuck out of here!" Punk said.

He grabbed Evalena's hand and they both ran out of the woods. When they arrived back at the church, Punk stopped running. He turned around and looked at Evalena.

"You okay? Were you hurt?" he asked.

"No I am fine." Evalena said.

"There is no way I am letting you go to the Beauchene Inn alone. Not after that." Punk said.

"We don't have any other choice!" Evalena said.

"Fuck that! You cannot face this alone!" Punk yelled.

"Phil…you have to get them out of there so we can finish this. I can only do this if you help me. I admit I am scared to death. But I am more afraid of living the rest of my life in fear." She said.

"What if you don't make it? What if some of this crazy shit kills you?" Punk asked.

"I am ready to go and my mother is waiting for me." She said.

Punk ran a hand through his hair. "Okay, but if anything goes wrong there, you get the fuck out and we will figure something else out."

Evalena nodded. "We should get going. You need to shower before you meet the Beauchene's."

"Right, let's finish this." Punk said.

(6pm, Greniux Cabins)

"You got everything you need in your car? You have your cross?" Punk asked.

"Yes, I got everything loaded in there." She said and walked onto the porch.

"You stay out of sight of the Beauchene Inn until you get a text from me telling you that all three have arrived at the restaurant." Punk said.

"I know. Then I will sneak in, gather all the relics from the altar room, burn the sage and sprinkle the holy water. Then I will find the cremated ashes and get out of there." She said.

"I will meet you at the Methodist church. Then we will find a place to bury the ashes and burn the relics." Punk said. "You text me the minute you are out of that place."

"Or you text me if the Beauchene's decide to leave." Evalena said.

"I will." Punk said. "Promise me you'll be careful."

"I promise, but you promise me the same thing." Evalena said. "Don't let the Beauchene's near your food or drinks."

"I promise, I will be very careful." Punk assured her.

She hugged him tight. "We can do this."

Punk held her tight trying desperately to think of another way to solve this problem.

"I better get going." Evalena said.

"Yeah me too." Punk said reluctantly.

He held her hand and walked her down to her car. Punk opened her car door for her.

"You be careful, if anything gets weird you get out of there." Punk said.

"I will. You too. You promised to take me to Summerslam." She tried to smile but he could tell she was scared.

"You come back safe to me." Punk kissed her. "I think I am falling in love with you and I don't wanna lose you before we see where this can go." Punk kissed her again putting everything he was feeling into that kiss.

"Please be careful, I don't wanna lose you now that I found you." She said and hugged him tight.

She climbed in her car and Punk shut the door. He leaned down as she rolled down the window.

"Punk…if something should happen and I don't make it out of this alive…." Evalena started.

"Don't talk like that."

"No Punk listen….if something should happen….promise me you will make sure Rocky gets back to my dad in Tennessee." She said.

"I will, I promise." Punk said.

"And tell him that I love him, very much. And that mama and I will be waiting for him." She said and wiped a tear away.

"I will, but let's make sure I don't need to." Punk said.

"Be careful Phil." She kissed him quickly and drove away.

Punk stood and watched her drive to the exit of the resort and pull out onto the main road.

"God…if there is one, I hope you're listening. I never asked you for anything, but I am asking now….take care of her. She believes in you and she doesn't deserve any of this. I am not ready to lose her yet, so take care of her….please." Punk looked towards the sky.

Punk walked back to the cabin and locked it, making sure he had his cell phone. He walked to his rental and climbed in. He took a deep breath and then started the car, heading towards town to meet the Beauchene's.

(Huck Finn Café, 6:55)

Punk was already seated at a table when he saw the Beauchene's enter the restaurant. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Joe, Martha and Tom were all there. He quickly sent Evalena a text saying they had arrived. He put on a false smile and greeted them as they arrived at his table.

"Tom, Mr. and Mrs. Beauchene how nice to see you again." Punk stood up to greet them.

"Nice to see you Mr. Brooks." Tom said.

"Please be seated." Punk told them.

"I want to thank you for treating us to dinner. Though it really was not needed." Martha said.

"Well I felt so terrible about how I acted once I realized that girl was crazy. I thought she was really in danger but once I realized she was just a loose cannon, I sent her packing." Punk said.

"Do you know where she went?" Joe asked.

"No, I kicked her out of my hotel room and haven't heard from her since." Punk said.

"I am glad that you were able to get away from her. She was an odd one." Tom said.

"Shall we order?" Punk said, wanting to get the dinner over with.

(Beauchene Inn, 7pm)

Evalena had received Punk's texts that the Beauchene's were with him at the restaurant. She drove to the inn and parked in front of it. She grabbed her bag and hurried to the front door, knowing they left the door to the inn open for guests to come and go. She hurried up the stairs to the third floor and found the door marked for storage.

She found it was locked. She took her multi-tool out of her pocket. She worked on the door handle for a few minutes and finally got the door to open. She hurried inside finding the room much as it had been the last time she and Punk were in it.

She took a large black garbage bag out of her bag and began gathering the items in the room. She struggled to get the alligator head off of its mount but finally pried it off and put it in the bag. She gathered up several daggers from around where the head had been mounted. She picked up all the candles, herbs, roots and charms she could find.

She moved to the other side of the room and gathered up the dolls and statues she found there. The bag was nearly full. She tied it shut and set it just outside the door. She went back to her bag and pulled out her cross and a container of holy water. Holding the cross tightly she began sprinkling the holy water around the room.

"Lord, this is a crazy situation but I need your help. Purify this room; cast all the demons out in the name of your son Jesus. Take the power the Beauchene's have through evil away. Make it safe for those the Beauchene's do not like. I am not sure this is an adequate prayer but you know what I am meaning! And take care of Punk at the restaurant. He means a lot to me. Amen." She said as she sprinkled the water around the room.

She pulled out a bundle of sage and placed it in the center of the room. She opened the window so she would not set off any fire alarms. She set the sage on the table where the alligator head had been. She lit the sage and moved to the outside of the room to watch it burn.

"Somehow I don't think chanting 'the power of Christ compels you' would work." Evalena tried to think of what to say. "In the Bible the demons obeyed Jesus…Jesus…Jesus' name!"

Loud shrieking and screaming started and Evalena realized the demons were being chased from the room. She held tight to her cross.

"In the name of Jesus demons leave this room!" Evalena began saying over and over again, while covering her ears.

The table the sage was on began to shake. Evalena wanted to run but was too afraid. The table moved a few inches across the floor then stopped. Slowly the screaming died down and everything was silent. Evalena stopped praying and uncovered her ears.

She looked around and everything seemed peaceful. She hurried back into the room and saw burn marks on the floor where the table had moved.

"Just like the missionary said." She whispered.

She shut the window and the relocked the door. She dragged the garbage bag full of what she had taken from the altar down the stairs. She pulled it out of the inn and across the yard. She hurried and opened her trunk and struggled but got the bag inside and slammed it shut.

"Now I have to find the cremated remains and get out of here." She looked back towards the inn. "Punk baby, please be safe at dinner."

(Huck Finn Café, 7:45)

Punk checked the time on his phone, wishing he had told Evalena to send him update texts so he would know how long to keep the Beauchene's at the restaurant.

"So Mr. Brooks would like to come back to the inn now that Miss Cole is gone? We would love to have you stay the last two weeks of your vacation with us." Joe said.

"Actually I have decided to cut my vacation short. I will be leaving New Orleans tomorrow." Punk said. "After everything with that crazy woman, I just want to go home."

"I am sure. Will you be visiting New Orleans again?" Tom asked.

"Work will probably bring me through here from time to time." Punk answered.

"We would love to have to stay at the inn again." Martha said.

"As long as you don't have any more insane female guests." Punk forced a smile.

"Are you sure Miss Cole didn't say where she was going?" Tom asked.

"What does it matter?" Punk raised an eyebrow.

"I would've liked to called and checked on her well-being. She really was upset when she left the inn with you." Tom said.

"I am sure wherever she is, she is still as crazy as ever." Punk said.

"Well it is getting late. We should get back to the inn. Don't like to leave the place abandoned for too long. Never know when a guest will happen by needing a room." Joe said.

"Are you sure you can't stay for dessert?" Punk asked, hoping to buy more time.

"No, after that meal I am quite stuffed." Martha said.

"Well if you'd excuse me, I need to use the restroom before we leave." Punk stood up. "I'll be right back."

Punk hurried to the back of the restaurant to the restrooms. He hurried inside the restroom and pulled out his cellphone to text Evalena that the Beauchene's were leaving. The restroom door opened and Tom walked in.

"Hey, guess you had the same idea." Punk forced a smile.

"You know, you really shouldn't have sided with her. All this could've been avoided." Tom said.

"Well it's over now and she's gone." Punk shrugged, trying to text without Tom seeing what he was typing.

"And you two really shouldn't have destroyed our altar at the old crossroads where my great-great-grandfather first sold his soul to the devil." Tom said.

"Wh…." Punk looked up but never got to finish thought.

Tom lifted his hand and blew some powder into Punk's face. Punk coughed and stumbled backwards. Tom stood and watched as Punk tried to wipe the powder from his eyes and coughed again. Punk felt lightheaded and fought to stay awake. He shook his head but fell to the floor and passed out.

Tom reached down and picked up Punk's cell phone and put it in his own pocket. He turned and walked out of the restroom, leaving Punk unconscious on the floor.


	17. Return to the Beauchene Inn II

(Beauchene Inn, 8:10PM)

Evalena had finally managed to get into the home of the Beauchene's through the back of the lobby of the inn. Their home was attached to the inn so they just lived in a separate part of the inn. The door had been harder to get unlocked but she finally managed.

She walked into the kitchen area. She doubted anyone would keep ashes in the kitchen but checked all of the cabinets anyway. Finding nothing she walked into the living room.

There were no urns on the mantle. She checked a bookshelf and again found nothing. She looked around the room, half wondering if she would have to start tearing up floor boards. She walked into one of the bedrooms that were off the side of the living room.

This was what appeared to be the master bedroom. Evalena started opening dresser drawers looking for urns. When she found nothing, she turned and started going through the closet. She found clothing, shoes, picture albums and a few hats but no urns. She began getting frustrated. She checked her phone but still no message from Punk. She hurried over and started checking the nightstands on each side of the bed.

"Where are those urns?" Evalena asked aloud.

She returned to the living room and saw another room off to the side. She entered what appeared to be a dining room area. She saw nothing in the china cabinet. She opened the bottom doors of the cabinet and saw nothing but table clothes and platters.

She saw another wooden cabinet in the corner of the room. She walked over to it and opened the doors. Inside were 10 urns lined along two shelves. She could see tags on all of them.

"This is them. The Beauchene men, their wives and children." She said.

She reached in and picked up the first urn, she read the label 'George Beauchene'.

"Back so soon, Miss Cole!" Tom yelled as he grabbed Evalena around the waist, pulling her from the cabinet. "I thought you didn't like it here."

"No! Let go of me!" she yelled.

Evalena tried stomping on his instep but he lifted her feet off the ground. She clawed to get his hands loose from her waist. Thinking fast she flung her head back, catching him one the nose.

"Fucking bitch!" he yelled but managed to hold on to her.

She head-butted him again and caught him on the forehead. This time he was stunned enough that he let go of her. She ran for the door when she saw Joe Beauchene blocking the exit. She searched around for a weapon, finding only a lamp. She lifted it and threw it at Joe but he dodged it and it shattered on the floor.

"You should've listened when Tom warned you to leave things alone." Joe said.

"Where is Punk?" she yelled.

"Oh, Mr. Brooks? He was quite happy to agree to leave you to us in exchange for us leaving him alone." Joe said.

"No, Punk wouldn't do that!" Evalena insisted.

"Oh really? Tell me sweetheart, how long has he known you? Did you really think he would be willing to die over some girl that has known two weeks?" Joe answered.

Evalena thought for a moment but then remembered Madame Tasse's warning. "Punk would not abandon me! He isn't like that!"

"Amazing what a man will agree to when faced with his own mortality, especially a man with no belief in God." Joe said.

"I don't believe you, where is he?" she yelled.

"Don't believe us. If he was still helping you, why didn't he warn you we were coming?" Tom said.

"She has destroyed our altar upstairs." Martha appeared beside Joe. "Everything except the table has been removed from the room and she burned sage."

"Troublesome this one is." Joe commented. "We may have underestimated her."

"Where are our relics? What have you done with them?" Tom asked. Evalena could see his nose was bleeding.

"I'm not telling you!" Evalena yelled.

"Tie her up!" Martha said. "We will find our relics and then build a new altar…using her blood."

Joe and Tom both moved towards her. She knew she was cornered. Tom grabbed her first but she kicked hard to get away from him. Joe grabbed for her legs and managed to still her somewhat. She started screaming and still twisting to get away. When she felt Tom's arm wrap around her throat she instantly panicked.

"No! No!" she tried yelling but soon everything was black.

She went slack in their arms.

"Hurry before she comes to." Martha said.

"Where are her keys? Our relics are probably in her car out front." Joe said as Tom dragged Evalena out of the room.

(Huck Finn Café, 8:15PM)

"He's coming to." Punk heard what sounded like a far off voice.

"Evalena." Slowly Punk opened his eyes and looked around. He was on the floor in the men's room and several men were standing around him.

"Easy…easy there. Just relax; we've called for an ambulance." One of the men said.

"My phone, where is my phone?" Punk tried looking around.

"Take it easy. Do you know what happened?" another of the men told him.

"What time is it? I need to find Evalena." Punk said.

"Who?" a waiter kneeled beside him.

"Evalena…my girlfriend. I have to get to her." Punk tried to stand.

"Just stay where you are. Was she in the restaurant with you? We could have her paged." The waiter said.

"No, she's not here. What time is it?" Punk asked again.

"It's about 8:15, why?" one of the men asked.

"8:15…when I came in here it was…..I've got to go!" Punk tried to stand.

"You need to stay here. Help is on the way." The waiter said.

"No! I have to get to my girlfriend, she is in danger!" Punk struggled and stood up.

"Danger? You want us to call the police?" the waiter asked.

"No, I have to find her myself." Punk said. "Where is my phone?"

"We never saw your phone. Did you have it when you came in here?" the waiter asked.

"I'm leaving. Thanks for trying to help." Punk pushed his way through the gawkers and out of the restroom.

He shook his head, trying to clear it. He made his way into the restaurant and was not surprised to find the Beauchene's long gone. He walked out to the parking lot and found his rental car. He found his keys and climbed in.

"Fuck! They took my phone, I can't call or text her!" Punk started the car. He pulled out onto the street, speeding towards the Beauchene Inn.

"God, I really hope you're up there and listening. I need your help! You have to take care of her. You can't let me find her and care about her just to take her away from me already! Aren't you supposed to take care of your children? Well she is one, so take care of her!" he gripped the wheel harder as he sped through town.

(Beauchene Inn, 8:25PM)

Evalena had awoke to find herself tied to a pole, her arms tied behind the pole. She was seated on the floor and her feet tied in front of her. She looked around not recognizing where she was. She could see shelves and some garden tools.

"Hello? Hello?" she yelled out. "Punk?"

She tried to wiggle her wrists and get free but found she was tied very tightly and the ropes were cutting into her skin. She tried her legs but found her feet were just as tightly bound.

"Hey! Can anyone hear me?" she yelled again.

She looked through the darkness and saw two doors and realized she must be the cellar.

"Hello?" she yelled again.

"Yell all you want. We have no guests and we're far from anyone." She heard Tom say. She realized he must be standing outside the cellar.

"Where is Punk?" she yelled.

"We told you, he's gone. He's probably out of New Orleans by now." Tom said. "Surely you didn't think someone like him would be willing to risk his life for you. He'll go back home, tell John things between you two didn't work out and by next month, he'll have forgotten all about you."

That stung Evalena. She knew Punk was famous and could have any woman he wanted. She knew he had dated a lot in the past.

"Strike a nerve did I?" Tom chuckled.

Evalena closed her eyes. She remembered what Madame Tasse said. She fought to focus on her time with Punk. She remembered their evening on the riverboat, the way he took care of Rocky when he was attacked, the way he had kissed her before she left that evening. She knew Punk didn't get caught up in hype and fame and tended to live by his own rules. Suddenly the memory of him demanding CM Punk ice cream bars popped into her mind, causing her to laugh.

"Something funny, Miss Cole?" Tom asked.

"Nothing you would understand. I doubt you have ever been in love in your life." She said. "Now tell me where Punk is!"

"Stubborn one, but trust me. He isn't coming for you." Tom said.

"What did you do to him?" Evalena yelled.

"Don't worry; maybe you can see him in hell." Tom chuckled.

"Tom, we found all our relics. Your father is arranging a new altar now." Evalena heard Martha tell Tom.

(Beauchene Inn, 8:45PM)

Punk parked his rental car down the road from the Beauchene Inn and quietly walked up the road towards the inn. He saw Evalena's car still out front. He ducked behind the car and tried looking around the area. He saw Tom walk up the front steps and enter the inn.

"Fuck….they must have Evalena somewhere. Fuck I hope they haven't hurt her." Punk whispered to himself.

Punk quickly ran across the yard to the side of the inn. He was trying to get to the back door of the inn and enter that way. As he creped along the side of the inn he stepped on the doors to the cellar.

"Hey, I hear you out there! Is this some kind of torture? Making me wait to die? Or are you waiting for the Devil's hour at 3AM?" Evalena yelled.

Punk recognized her voice. He pulled open one of the doors to the cellar and hurried down the stairs.

"Punk!" Evalena said.

"Shhhh." Punk rushed over to her. "Are you okay?"

"I think so. Tom choked me out to get me down here. They are planning to make a new altar with my blood." She whispered.

"Not while I am around. Baby, I am so glad you're okay." He hugged her.

"Can you untie me? My wrists are throbbing." She asked.

"I'll try. Where is your multi-tool? Maybe I can cut the ropes." Punk whispered.

"Check my pockets, but they probably took it when they took my car keys." Evalena whispered.

Punk carefully reached in both of her pockets but found no multi-tool.

"They must've taken it." Punk said. "I'll untie the knots."

"Where were you? What happened to you?" Evalena asked. "Are you okay? I was worried sick about you."

"I am fine. When I went to the restroom so I could text you that they were planning to leave, Tom followed me in there and blew some kind of dust in my face. It knocked me out for a while. They stole my cell phone, so when I came to I had no way to call or text you." Punk explained as he untied her hands.

"I knew you wouldn't abandon me. They kept telling me that you gave me to them in exchange for your own safety. That you had left me here and moved on with your life." Evalena said.

"I wouldn't do that to you." Punk freed her wrists.

"I know…..owwww, my arms hurt." Evalena said.

"Here, let me help." Punk began rubbing her arms to get the blood flowing through them. "I swear I would never leave you."

"I know, I remembered Madame Tasse's warning but even then….I could just feel that you wouldn't let anything hurt me." She said.

Punk leaned in and kissed her quickly. "Let me get your legs untied and we'll get the fuck outta here."

"We still need to destroy their relics and bury their ancestors. I know where the urns are. But with the Beauchene's here, how are we gonna get to them?"

"We'll figure something out. After doing this much damage to them, if we just leave now they will never let us have any peace." Punk said and untied her feet.

"My legs are asleep." Evalena said.

Punk rubbed one of her legs as she rubbed the other.

"Maybe we should take a weapon." Evalena said.

"Can you walk?" Punk asked.

"I'll try. Let's just get out of here." She said and Punk helped her up.

"Come on; let's get out of here before they find us." Punk said.

"Now what do we do?" she asked.

"We finish this." He wrapped his arm around her.

_**Author's Note-**__ I delayed posting this chapter for several days hoping to get some feedback on previous chapters to let me know what readers thought and what improvements I could make in the story but since no one has reviewed, I just went with my gut for this chapter. Would love some feedback, the story is reaching its climax and not having feedback drives an author crazy! LOL _


	18. Is it Over?

"What do we do when we get inside the inn?" she asked.

"I don't care if I have to knock them all out with a shovel, we're finishing this." Punk said.

"That doesn't sound like much of a plan." Evalena said.

"I want to get this over with and out of here. You stick close with me; I don't want you out of my sight." Punk said.

"Good, because I don't want you away from me." Evalena said.

Punk pulled Evalena against him. "Baby, before we go up there, I just wanted to tell you….when I woke up in that bathroom and realized that you were in danger…it scared the fuck outta me. I don't think anymore, I know I am falling in love with you. I just wanted you to know in case…."

Evalena cut him off with a kiss. "I'm falling for you too. And there is no in case…we're surviving this. Then you are taking me to wherever you choose…as long as it's romantic."

"You got it." Punk kissed her.

"Punk, if we could lure them into the cellar and lock it….it might buy us enough time to get done what we need to, especially if we burn the relics in the fire pit out back." she said.

"I love a smart woman." Punk smirked. "We'll get them here if I have to knock them out."

"They were planning to come back down here and get me." Evalena said.

"Good, that will lure them down here." Punk said. "You pretend you are still tied up, when whoever leans in close to untie you….we need something for you to hit them with."

"There has to be something around here." Evalena said.

Punk looked through the cellar and finally found a hammer. He handed it to Evalena.

"This will stun them if not knock them out." Punk said.

"What are you gonna do?" she asked.

"I am gonna hide and help subdue them when they come down to get you." Punk said.

"Be careful." She said.

"You too. Here I will help you look tied up." Punk said.

Evalena sat back down and put her hands behind the pole. Punk wrapped the rope around her legs and wrists so she appeared tied up but actually wasn't.

"I'll keep you safe. Don't worry." Punk told her.

She nodded. Punk put the hammer under her hands so it was hidden. He leaned in and kissed her. She watched as he stood up and grabbed a shovel, then moved into a darkened corner to wait for the Beauchene's.

They waited for nearly a half hour. Both were tense and nervous. Finally she heard the Beauchene's walk down the stairs into the cellar.

"Everything is prepared." Tom said.

"Where is Punk?" she asked, keeping up the façade.

"Probably at the airport by now." Tom said.

"Get her up." Joe said.

Tom leaned down to untie Evalena's feet. She hurried and pulled her hands free of the ropes and gripped the hammer. She swung it as hard as she could at Tom's head.

"Tom!" Martha yelled as Tom collapsed to the floor.

Joe moved to grab at Evalena but Punk rushed out of the corner and smacked him with the shovel. Joe collapsed but was still conscious. Punk hit him again knocking him out, as Evalena hurried to get the rope off her legs. .

"Joe!" Martha yelled.

Evalena grabbed the hammer again and hit Martha in the leg. Martha fell grabbing her leg.

"Help me get them tied up. See if you can find more rope. Hurry!" Punk yelled.

Evalena jumped up and searched around the cellar for more rope. She couldn't find any but spotted some duct tape.

"How about duct tape?" Evalena asked.

"Sure, I can be MacGyver." Punk said.

"Hurry Angus!" Evalena said and tossed the tape to Punk.

"There is no where you two can escape." Martha yelled from where Punk had her tied to the pole that Evalena had been tied to.

"Shut up before I forget you are a woman!" Punk snapped.

Punk hurried to tape up Tom and then began taping up Joe. When he finished, he stood up.

"Evalena, go." He said.

She hurried up the stairs. Punk grabbed the shovel and hurried after her. Once they were out of the cellar, Punk closed the doors and slid the shovel handle through the handles.

"Come on, let's get this done!" Punk said.

He grabbed Evalena's hand and headed towards the front door of the inn. They walked inside and Evalena nudged Punk towards the Beauchene's living quarters.

"I know where the urns of their ancestors are. I just need something to carry them in." Evalena said.

Punk looked around the living room area of the Beauchene's living quarters. He spotted the bedroom off to the side.

"Pillow cases will work." Punk said. "Come on."

They hurried into the bedroom and pulled the pillows off the bed, ripping the cases off the pillows.

"Come on, the ashes are in the dining area." Evalena said.

Punk followed behind her and they hurried into the dining room. Evalena opened the cabinet.

"Fuck, even though I knew it would be here….just the thought of keeping 10 dead people in the house….even cremated…it's fucking weird." Punk said.

Punk and Evalena both began grabbing urns and putting them in the pillow cases. When they had all 10 urns, Evalena turned and looked for something to gather the relics in once again.

"They have probably put all the relics back in their altar room. I will need something to put them in." Evalena said.

"Let's try the kitchen, maybe they have some bags." Punk said.

They hurried into the kitchen and began looking through cabinets. Punk found some garbage bags under the sink.

"Found some. Now let's get that stuff and get the fuck out of here." Punk said.

Evalena followed Punk as they hurried out of the Beauchene's living quarters and hurried upstairs to the third floor of the inn. They found the door to the altar room open; obviously the Beauchene's were expecting to take Evalena in there without little trouble.

They entered the room and found the relics had been returned to their original places.

"Grab everything and let's go!" Punk said.

Punk and Evalena each grabbed a bag and started grabbing all the relics. Punk worked at getting the alligator head off the table again. Evalena gathered all the dolls, statues and oils she could find. Once Punk removed the alligator head, he gathered the daggers and everything else on the table.

"Let's get this stuff burned and get to the cemetery to bury the ashes." Evalena said.

"Right, then we are going to the Bahamas." Punk said.

Evalena had to smile at that despite the fear she was feeling. Punk gathered both bags of relics while Evalena picked up both pillowcases of urns. They hurried down the stairs to ground floor.

"We need the lighter fluid." Punk said.

"I dunno what the Beauchene's did with my bag. My cross and everything was in it." Evalena said.

"I think I saw some lighter fluid in the kitchen. Come on." Punk said.

Evalena followed him back through the living quarters and into the Beauchene's kitchen. Punk looked under the sink.

"Here is some. Come on." Punk grabbed the bottle and picked up the bags of relics.

They hurried out of the back of the inn and over to the fire pit. Punk put both bags of relics in the pit and ripped the bags open. He poured the lighter fluid all over the relics. It struck Evalena as strange that they were burning evil relics in the same place she and Punk had spent so many times.

"Do you have the lighter?" Evalena asked.

"Yeah, I put a couple in my pocket just in case before I left." Punk said. "Stand back baby."

Punk carefully lit the relics. As the flames shot up, he moved back to stand by Evalena taking her hand.

"Do you need to pray?" Punk asked.

"I think so." She squeezed his hand. "Our father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."

Screams started coming from the fire and strange shapes, not quite human began rising up in the flames. Punk pulled Evalena back away from the fire and wrapped his arms around her. She clung tight to him, both of them watching the shapes in the fire.

"Finish the prayer!" Punk yelled over the screams.

"Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation. But deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever! Amen!" Evalena managed to get out, though she was trembling.

To their surprise, they began hearing screams from the cellar.

"What the fuck?" Punk looked towards the cellar.

"I dunno." Evalena said.

"Come on, let's get to the cemetery." Punk said.

They gathered up the pillow cases once again and Evalena followed Punk away from the inn. They ran down the road to where Punk had left his rental car. They climbed in and Punk turned the car towards the cemetery by the Methodist church. Punk kept an eye on the rearview mirror in case the Beauchene's had managed to break free.

They arrived at the church. Punk parked the car and hurried out. He opened the trunk and pulled out the shovel he had brought to bury the ashes. Evalena grabbed the pillowcases full of urns. Punk looked around them to make sure no one was around, seeing no one.

They ran towards the fence around the cemetery. Punk tossed the shovel over the fence then climbed over himself. Evalena handed him the pillowcases. Punk then helped Evalena climb over the fence.

Punk picked a spot at the edge of the cemetery and began digging. Evalena kept a lookout in case the minister from the nearby parsonage spotted them or came out of his home. She saw no one, but was still shaking.

When the hole was wide and deep enough for all the urns, he tossed down the shovel. "Let's get them in there."

Evalena knelt down with Punk and they began placing the urns in the hole. Punk could see her hands were shaking. They carefully lined all 10 urns inside the hole. They stood up. Punk grabbed the shovel and began putting dirt over the urns, filling in the hole and covering the urns.

"Lord, please let these souls find peace and rest and no longer work for evil. Please let the evil of the Beauchene's be over. Amen." Evalena said, unsure of how else to pray at the moment.

Punk tossed the last few shovelfuls of dirt on the urns. He tossed down the shovel. He looked over at Evalena and saw she was crying.

He wrapped his arms around her. "Baby, don't cry. It's over. It's all over and we're safe."

"I know….I was just so scared and I am so glad it's over. You rescued me….I needed you and you came." She held him tight.

"You did great baby. You were strong and held it together." He rubbed her back.

Evalena clung to Punk but looked up to the sky and sent up a silent prayer of thanks that Punk was safe. She didn't know it, but Punk was silently thinking 'I guess you heard me, God. Thank you for keeping her safe and getting us through that.'

Punk and Evalena just stood inside the cemetery, hugging each other, glad that everything was over and that they were safe and together.

_**Author's Note- **__This is not the end of the story. There are a few chapters left to go. Thank you to those who reviewed the last chapter; I really appreciate it! _


	19. The End of the Nightmare

"Are we going to release the Beauchene's? We left them tied up." Evalena said.

"I dunno. I didn't think that far ahead." Punk said.

"They aren't powerful anymore, we should release them." Evalena said.

"I will do it. I don't want you anywhere near them." Punk said.

She nodded against his shoulder.

"Come on then, we can pick up your car and I will let them go out of the cellar. Then let's get back to the cabin and rest. Tomorrow we are leaving for the Bahamas." He told her.

"Two weeks with you on the beach…can we go snorkeling?" she asked.

"Anything you wanna do." He said.

Punk and Evalena moved apart and started walking towards the gate. Punk climbed over first and then helped Evalena climb over. He kept his arm around her as they walked to his rental; reluctant to let her go after all they had been through. He opened the door for her and let her in the car. He climbed in and started the car.

"You sure you're okay?" he asked her.

"I'm fine….God gave me you." She smiled.

"You may be right." Punk said.

"Are you okay? Who knows what that crap they used on you at the restaurant was." Evalena asked.

"I'm fine. It just knocked me out for a while." He said.

They drove back towards the inn. Punk reached over and took her hand. She smiled at him, finally starting to calm down.

As they got closer to the inn, they saw police, ambulances and fire trucks all around. They could see the entire inn was in flames.

"What the fuck?" Punk yelled.

"I have no idea." Evalena said.

Punk stopped his rental car and they both jumped out. They ran towards her car but were stopped by officers.

"You can't go in there. What are you doing here?" the officer asked.

"That is my car parked over there." Evalena said.

"Were you guests here?" he asked.

"We used to be. We just left her car parked here for a bit while we went out. We didn't think the Beauchene's would mind." Punk covered.

Evalena grabbed his hand. "What happened here? Are the Beauchene's okay?"

"We believe they are dead. Tom Beauchene called 911 earlier screaming and irrational. It appears he murdered his parents, and then killed himself after setting the inn on fire. We won't know anything for a while yet, but we are finding no signs of life." The officer explained. "Did you see anything when you left your car here?"

"Nothing like this." Evalena said, looking at Punk who looked just as confused as she was.

"We'll need your IDs in case we have any questions later." The officer said.

"Mine is in my car." Evalena said.

"Come with me." The officer led Evalena and Punk over to her car.

Evalena found her purse and handed the officer her ID. Punk handed the officer his as well. While the officer took down their information, Punk held Evalena and they looked at the burning inn.

"Why would Tom do this?" Evalena asked.

"I guess he just couldn't face life without the power Satan gave him." Punk said.

"Am I a bad person because I am relieved that he can no longer try getting his power back or whatever?" she asked.

"If you are a bad person then so am I. I feel the same way." Punk said.

"Here you go. If we need anything we will call you." The officer handed them their IDs. "You are free to go."

"You okay to drive yourself?" Punk asked.

"Yes, I'll be fine." She said.

"Okay, I'll follow you to the cabin." Punk kissed her.

(Later)

Evalena stood under the shower spray, letting the water soothe her nerves and help her relax. She was feeling still shocked that the inn was destroyed and relieved that the terror was all over. She smiled, looking forward to leaving with Punk in the morning. After everything they had been through together, she knew she loved him. She couldn't imagine anyone else being willing to go through what he had for her.

"Baby, you okay in there? You have been in there a long time." Punk's knock on the bathroom door broke her from her thoughts.

"Yeah, I'll be out in a few minutes." She called back.

She shut off the water and stepped out of the shower, grabbing her towel. She dried off and towel dried her hair. She quickly pulled on a short nightgown and used the blow dryer to dry her hair a little so she could sleep.

She walked out of the bathroom and saw Punk sitting on the bed in his pajama bottoms reading a comic book. She smiled and walked over and climbed on the bed beside him.

"You feel better?" he looked up at her.

"Yes, how about you? We both had a crazy night." She said.

"I just want to get a good night's sleep and get outta this city tomorrow." Punk said.

"Me too. I am so glad it is all over and we're safe." She said.

"No more about that. It's over." Punk kissed her.

Punk tossed his comic book aside and turned off the lamp beside the bed. He lay down and pulled Evalena into his arms.

"I still can't believe how fast I have grown attached to you." Punk said.

"We been together almost nonstop and have been through a lot together despite the short time." She said.

He kissed her, pushing her onto her back. She ran her fingers down his spine making him shiver. He brought his knee up between her legs and moaned when he felt her grind herself against it.

"You want me to stop?" he asked, not wanting to push her but needing to feel close to her.

"No." she smiled.

"Is this too soon for you?" he wanted to be sure.

"No, I wanna feel you like this." She said.

Punk leaned down and kissed her neck softly, rubbing her side. Evalena rubbed her hand across his chest. He looked up at her and kissed across her cheek. He kissed down her neck and rubbed across her tummy. Punk leaned down and gently kissed along her shoulders, going slow. He traced his fingers down her sides and up over her nipples. He gently rubbed them through her gown enjoying how they hardened and she sighed. He leaned down and slowly pulled the straps of her gown off her shoulders and pulled her gown down just below her breasts.

"Damn you are so beautiful." he whispered.

He leaned down and slowly licked around one nipple while watching her face. When she moaned he moved and did the same thing to the other one. Evalena arched up to him and he slowly drew one nipple into his mouth, suckling gently while tracing a finger around the other one.

"Punk...so good." she sighed.

He moved slowly to the other side and began suckling the other nipple, watching her eyes fall closed. He let go of the nipple and began slowly licking circles around her breasts, leaving no place untouched. Evalena whimpered and arched into him more. He slowly licked between her breasts up her chest to her neck. He moved up and kissed her mouth again slowly.

"You are so beautiful." he stroked her cheek.

"So are you." she opened her eyes.

He kissed her again and slid down the bed kissing her stomach through her gown. He slid down further kissing along her thighs, first the tops and then nudged her legs open to kiss the insides. He pushed her gown up to kiss her bare tummy, tracing his tongue around her bellybutton.

"Punk..." she whispered.

"Mmmmmmm" he licked down her tummy to the edge of her panties.

"Still okay?" he asked.

"Yeah." she smiled at him.

He pushed her nightgown up under her arms. He leaned down and slowly licked around her nipples.

"You don't sleep in a bra." Punk said. "Do you know how often that has driven me crazy the past few days?"

Evalena chuckled then moaned when Punk flicked his tongue across her nipple. He smiled and did it again. He nuzzled between her breasts and moved to suckling her other nipple. Evalena lifted her leg around his waist.

"You are so fucking beautiful." he whispered.

Punk slid between her legs and noticed a wet spot on her panties.

"Looks like you're excited?" he chuckled.

"Oh yeah." Evalena said.

He leaned in and slowly licked up and down her slit through her panties. Evalena moaned and lifted her hips. He held her hips and slowly licked her again. He licked gently, just teasing.

"Punk..." she whimpered.

He took pity on her and sat up, sliding her panties off her legs. "Get these out of my way."  
He leaned back down and slowly licked along her slit, completely avoiding her clit. She lifted her hips and he slid his hands under her, lifting her center even with his mouth.

He slowly licked around her clit for just a second before pulling back. She started to moan then whimpered when he blew cool air over her clit. He lifted her hips and slowly slid his tongue into her. She whimpered louder. He slowly slid his tongue in and out of her, and then moved his tongue inside of her as far as he could. Evalena gripped the sheets, digging her heels in the mattress and lifting her hips more. Punk moved with her and flicked his tongue inside her.

"Oh yeah...don't stop." she whimpered.

He moved up and licked around her clit again and circling it with his tongue. He slid one finger into her, slowly pumping in and out.

"More...Punk." she whimpered.

"Damn baby." he moaned.

He licked her clit more, finally sucking gently on it. Punk slid a second finger into her and pumped them in and out. He could feel she was really wet. Her whimpering was getting louder.

"Faster...feels good." she moaned.

Punk pumped his fingers faster, trying to not get bucked off as Evalena was excited. He slid a third finger into her and licked her clit harder.

"Oh god Punk...yes baby." she yelled.

"Come on baby...you got my fingers soaking wet baby." he said.

Evalena was writhing on the bed, lifting her hips so much Punk had to sit up more to stay with her. He licked her clit harder and alternated with sucking on it.

"Fuck...I'm cumming...baby I'm cumming." she yelled.

Punk kept pumping his fingers in her, and sucked on her clit to make her orgasm more intense. Punk sat up and pulled Evalena's nightgown off. He stood up quickly and shucked off his sleep pants and underwear.

"Damn, I can't believe I slept with you pressed against me all this week and refrained from doing that." He smiled.

Evalena chuckled. Punk sat back on the bed and pulled Evalena up into his lap. She wrapped her arms around him and leaned in and kissed him. Punk slowly slid his hand between her legs and began rubbing her clit. Evalena moaned and Punk kissed along her neck.

"Easy baby….just relax and enjoy." Punk told her.

Evalena whimpered and clung tighter to Punk. He slid a finger into her and kept teasing her clit. She whimpered more and nuzzled against his neck.

"Fuck….I knew you were gonna be tight." Punk told her.

She started to whimper. Punk slowly added a second finger wanting to stretch her out.

"Punk…..god baby I'm gonna cum." she whimpered.

"Go ahead…then you will be relaxed when I am inside you." he whispered.

Evalena whimpered and clung tight to him as she came, her body clenching around him.

"You're so beautiful when you get off." Punk whispered.

Evalena started to relax and Punk laid her back on the bed. He nuzzled her neck.

"I am going to go easy. Tell me if anything is too much." Punk nuzzled her ear.

"I will." Evalena said. "Condoms?"

"I got some in my suitcase. Remind me to thank John for giving them to me even though he thought it was a joke at the time." He chuckled and climbed off the bed.

"John got you condoms?" Evalena asked.

"At the airport when I saw him off. He said I might need them while I was down here. He kept hinting you and I would hook up." Punk said as he found them and climbed back on the bed. He nudged her to lie back and propped her up using a few pillows.

"Let me do the work until you feel comfortable. I am gonna go slow. You will feel some burn because you haven't done this in a while. Just breathe, we'll get through it." he told her.

He nudged her legs apart and pushed her knees up.

"Just relax baby." he slowly started to slide into her. Her breathing hitched a bit. "Just breathe...the burn will lessen."

Evalena breathed and he pushed in slowly, rocking gently to help loosen her up. When he saw he relax he pushed in more.

"You with me? Damn you feel so tight." he said.

"Yeah...just be easy." she said.

"I could never hurt you." he stroked her cheek.

When Punk was all the way inside of her he paused and let her breathe.

"How you doing?" he asked.

"Good...you feel so good." she said.

"So do you." he whispered.

He slowly began thrusting gripping her shoulders. He felt her loosen more and relax more.

"That's it baby...just enjoy it." he said.

"Feels good." she said.

He sped up a bit, still being gentle. He wanted to go slow but was so worked up that it was difficult.

"Faster...I am okay." she said.

"Fuck yeah." he moaned and sped up started to thrust harder. He shifted a bit and Evalena screamed.

"Oh god, did I hurt you?" he asked.

"No...do that again." she said.

He chuckled and started thrusting again. Evalena gripped his shoulders.

"Yes...right there." she moaned.

Evalena dug her nails into his back. He thrust faster and harder, careful not to hurt her but not able to hold back anymore. He lifted her other leg around him and started thrusting faster. She scratched her nails down his back making him moan.

"Fuck….." Punk moaned fighting back his orgasm.

"Feels good…Punk oh my god." Evalena said.

"This won't be long. Been a while for me too." Punk said.

"Cum Punk, deep inside me. I wanna feel it." Evalena said.

He buried his head in her shoulder and thrust harder.

"Fuck baby...gonna cum." he moaned.

He slowed just enough to get his hand between them and rubbed over her clit.

"Oh god...Punk...yes...god yes." she reached down and pulled her knees back farther.  
She screamed as another orgasm hit her. He thrust hard and fast a few times while she clenched around him.

"Fuck!" Punk yelled and stilled, gripping the pillows as he came inside her.

"Oh wow, that was….." she looked up at him.

"Fucking fantastic." Punk kissed her. "You okay? Did I hurt you?"

"No…It was wonderful. Being with you feels….I can't describe it." She said.

"I know what you mean." He buried his face in her neck, trying to control his breathing. "I hope I didn't rush you but damn…I just had to be close to you."

"You didn't. And you better be ready to do that again as soon as we hit the islands." She smiled.

(Sunday Morning)

Punk pulled Evalena's car up in front of Madame Tasse's shop. They were packed and ready to leave New Orleans. They had checked out of their cabin, dropped off Punk's rental car and Punk had gotten a replacement cell phone for the one the Beauchene's had stolen. Punk had made their travel arrangements for the Bahamas. They were going to into Mississippi where the WWE was for the weekend and meet John Cena who was going to keep Rocky while they were in the Bahamas.

John had been surprised when Punk called and asked him to keep Evalena's dog. And even more surprised when Punk announced he and Evalena were going away for the remainder of his time off. Punk did not explain what happened to them with the Beauchene's, just simply stated that he and Evalena wanted a change of scenery. And Punk had laughed when Cena told Orton that Punk and Evalena were most definitely a couple now and made him pay up on their bet.

Punk stepped out of Evalena's car and opened the door for her. They had both wanted to say goodbye to Madame Tasse and thank her for her help. As they walked towards her shop they were surprised to see her step out the front door.

"Your bond brought you through and you have stopped the evil of the Beauchene's. Well done children." She greeted.

"How did you know?" Evalena asked.

"Sweetheart it on the news about the Beauchene Inn being destroyed and the Beauchene's found dead inside." Madame Tasse hugged them both. "You did well."

"We couldn't have done it without you. Thank you for everything. These are for you." Evalena handed her a bouquet of flowers.

"It is a great relief to have that family gone and their spirits laid in holy ground. I knew if you held tight to each other you could do it." Madame Tasse said.

"Why did Tom kill his family and destroy the inn?" Evalena asked.

"I read the cards this morning. He managed to get free from the cellar….but when he realized you two had destroyed their power….when he saw he had lost…he could not live without his evil…it was so deeply engrained in him he knew no other way. And Satan was easily able to trick him that death was the best option." She explained.

"We're leaving Louisiana, but wanted to thank you for everything before we left." Punk said.

"Be blessed as you go." Madame Tasse said.

"Thank you for everything. We will never forget you." Evalena hugged her.

"Do not worry about me. I see many wonderful things in your future." Madame Tasse kissed her cheek.

"If we can ever return the favor, call me. My number is on the card in your flowers." Punk hugged Madame Tasse.

"You see now why it took you so long to find the one. You were searching for your soul mate. It is why you came to love her so fast; your soul recognized her immediately. It's why you couldn't ignore her no matter how crazy your mind thought she was acting; your soul was crying out for her." Madame Tasse said. "God makes no mistakes. He knew you two could end the evil of the Beauchene's; he knew her faith would help you see and that your strength would help her through."

"I believe that." Punk smiled.

"I knew you were soul mates when you came in here together. A soul bond is forever." Madame Tasse kissed his cheek. "Take care of her, let her take care of you."

"I will. I promise." Punk said.

Punk turned and took Evalena's hand.

"Goodbye Madame Tasse. Take care of yourself." Evalena said.

"Goodbye children. Be blessed and hold tight to one another." Madame Tasse smiled.

Punk and Evalena walked back to her car. He opened the door and let her in.

"You need a minute to look around?" Punk asked.

"No. You and our happy memories are all I want to remember of the past two weeks." She smiled.

"We better get going. Cena will be waiting for us. And he is gonna have field day that he was right and we hooked up." Punk smiled, starting the car.

**Author's Note- **_There will be one chapter following this one to wrap up the story. _


	20. Epilogue

(Friday before SummerSlam)

It was the Friday before SummerSlam and the WWE staff was already in town making press appearances and getting the weekend underway. John Cena and Randy Orton had gone to IHOP for a late dinner after an autograph session. Punk had gone to the airport to pick up Evalena and had agreed to meet them there. Randy had not yet met Evalena and John was anxious to see her again.

Evalena and Punk had enjoyed a wonderful two weeks in the Bahamas after leaving Louisiana. They had experienced no further supernatural events. They had grown even closer and to them it seemed as if they had been together a lot longer than just a few weeks. And now as promised, Punk was bringing Evalena to SummerSlam.

"You excited to meet Evalena?" Cena asked Orton.

"I am anxious I guess. I mean Punk leaves for a month and comes back goofy in love. It's like a Lifetime movie except Punk doesn't fit the mold." Randy said.

"Yeah, that is unusual for Punk." Cena agreed. "Wanna place another bet on them?"

"No thanks. I still can't believe I lost that one." Orton rolled his eyes.

"Oh come on…how about something like….when he goes to meet her dad? No wait, I wanna be there for that. I wanna see when Evalena introduces tattoo covered and pierced atheist Punk to her Christian father." Cena snickered. "Imagine how you would feel if Alanna brought home a guy like that."

"She isn't allowed to date until she is 40 years old, I already decided that." Orton said.

"Sure, sure. You say that now, wait until she is a teenager." Cena snickered.

"You know, for Punk to be an atheist I have seen him talking to Shawn a lot lately and asking religious questions." Orton said.

"Punk really loves her. He told me." Cena said.

"Punk is a serial dater. She is flavor of the year. This time next year he will be with someone else." Randy said.

"Punk says she is the one." Cena said.

"When I see the wedding with Cabana up there giving some insane speech, I will believe it." Randy said.

"You are such a pessimist." John chuckled.

"So you always tell me." Randy rolled his eyes.

"There they are." Cena spotted Punk walk in holding Evalena's hand.

Punk and Evalena spotted them and walked towards their table. John and Randy stood as they approached.

"Wild as a mink but sweet as soda pop." Cena said.

Evalena laughed and launched herself into John's arms. "John, I missed you. How are you?"

"Good, it's great to see you. How are you?" he chuckled.

"Great. I am so excited to be here and meet Punk's friends and get to spend some time with him." She smiled.

"Randy, this is Evalena." Punk introduced them.

"Nice to meet you. I have heard great things about you." Randy shook her hand.

"Thank you." She smiled.

They all sat down, Punk and Evalena taking one side of the booth. Punk hailed a waitress so they could order.

"So how is the book coming?" John asked Evalena.

"I finished it after returning from the Bahamas and the publisher has accepted it. It should be out in October. Punk has been great about helping me get in contact with the right people." Evalena smiled and squeezed Punk's hand.

"Well to be fair I work with some people that have published books, they helped me know how to help you." Punk told her.

"You have still been great." She kissed his cheek.

"So by October….I am gonna make sure you get a good start to your book sales…I am buying a bunch and giving them to all my friends and family for Christmas." Cena smiled.

Evalena chuckled. "Thanks, you're a great friend."

"I want a copy too. I wanna know about the twice dead guy. John told me all about it." Orton said.

"Thanks Randy. That's very nice of you." She smiled.

"Come on; tell them the other good news." Punk smiled at her.

"It's not that big of a deal." She blushed.

"The fuck it isn't. Tell them." Punk said.

"Some people from the ID channel called me and they are gonna show the Roberts' case on one of their shows and want to interview me as part of the segment." Evalena said.

"That is great!" Orton said.

"Yeah it is. Way to go." John smiled.

"I am so proud of you." Punk kissed her.

"So how about your next book? The Moate case…when you gonna start writing it?" John asked.

"I have decided I don't want to write it….at least not right now. I don't….I need a break from Louisiana." She said.

"What exactly happened to you two down there? You switched lodging, left early and now you changed your mind about a case you were so excited about?" John said.

"Everything is fine. She just changed her mind." Punk said.

"If something was wrong, you would tell us right?" Randy asked.

"Oh everything is fine." Evalena smiled.

"Well what case are you going to write about next?" Orton asked her.

"The Kingsbury Run killer. I got the idea from Punk reading it in one of my true crime books. I am leaving next week for Cleveland to start researching it. It is gonna be a challenge because the case is so old, but I am excited." She smiled.

"What about your job as a psychologist?" John asked.

"I think I am gonna go ahead and resign. I am finding that writing unsolved cases and the work involved with that much more rewarding than trying to figure out why some asshole murdered his girlfriend or beats their children." Evalena said. "And this gives me more time to spend with Punk."

"That's a big change. You sure?" Punk asked her.

"Yes, we have been over this. Besides, I can still use my psychologist background as a writer. I am anxious to develop a profile on the Kingsbury Run Killer because I have never believed it was Frank Dolezal and the case stumped Eliot Ness himself." She said.

"If you're sure then I am happy for you. And it will be nice seeing you more often." Punk said.

"And you can tell me all about what you're writing." John said.

"Enough about me, how about you guys? A big pay per view this weekend and lots of events going on." She smiled.

"It will be busy, but the event is expected to be great." Orton said.

"You gonna win your match?" she asked Punk.

"I am not telling you." He smirked.

"You know that drives me crazy." She chuckled.

"Why do you think I do it?" he smiled.

"Don't they make a cute couple Rand?" John smiled.

"Adorable." Randy smirked.

"Oh knock it off you two." Punk said.

"How long you staying with us?" Randy asked.

"After SummerSlam, Punk is taking me to Monday Night Raw and then I am heading home for a few days. He is gonna join me in Cleveland a few days while I am researching my new book." She answered.

"And I want you to meet Shawn while you are in town. I think you will like him." Punk said.

"Yeah, I would like that." She smiled.

John leaned over so only Randy could hear. "Call Cabana and tell him to start writing that speech."

"Never gonna happen." Randy said.

"Wanna bet on it?" John whispered.

"That one I will take. I'll even kick the bet up to a thousand dollars." Randy said.

"You're on." John chuckled.

"What are you two whispering about?" Punk asked.

"Oh nothing important." John smiled.

(Later)

Punk and Evalena entered their hotel room. She looked around as Punk put their luggage in a closet.

"Did you call your dad and let him know you arrived safely?" Punk asked.

"Yes, as soon as I landed. He still has doubts about you. I told him once he meets you he will love you." She smiled.

"Mom is anxious to meet you too." Punk smiled. "I got something for you."

Punk handed her a little velvet box. Evalena opened it and inside was a gold cross pendant and necklace.

"Punk, its beautiful." She smiled.

"I am glad you like it."

"I love it." She kissed him.

"You know, Madame Tasse told me we're soul mates." Punk said.

"What do you think of that?" she asked.

"I believe it." He smiled.

"You do?" she was surprised.

He pulled her into his arms. "I am so glad we got out of Louisiana alive. There was a few times I wasn't sure we both would. But I could feel something inside me just pulling me to keep you safe and help you through that mess. Even when I thought you were crazy, something about you kept pulling me back to you. Now I know….you're my soul mate. And after all these years….I can't believe someone out there sent you to me."

"I know what you mean." She looked up at him. "But you have turned out to be a wonderful surprise."

"I am so glad you are here." Punk kissed her.

"Me too. When you said you were gonna fly me in for SummerSlam I didn't know what to think." She smiled.

"I always keep my promises." He said.

"And I love that about you." She curled up in his arms.

"I love everything about you." He kissed her forehead. "You tired?"

"A little." She said.

Punk scooted up on the bed and nudged her to lay down, resting her head on his chest.

"Get some rest. We have the rest of our lives now to be together….and nothing to fear." he kissed her.

"Sounds great. I can't wait." She smiled. "I love you."

"Love you too." He said.

_**Author's Note-**__ I just want to thank everyone for reading this story and a special thanks to those who reviewed. I apologize the final chapter took so long but the past few weeks have been hectic. However, I am back in a writing groove and have a few new stories in the works and I have ideas for a sequel to this story. Thanks again and I hope you enjoyed the story. _


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